Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Nearby Words
Definition of pacinian corpuscle - 4 dictionary results

Pa⋅cin⋅i⋅an cor⋅puscle

  [puh-sin-ee-uhn]
Use pacinian corpuscle in a Sentence
–noun
(sometimes lowercase) a microscopic, onionlike body consisting of layers of connective tissue wrapped around a nerve ending, located in the deep layers of skin, tendons, etc., and functioning as a sensory receptor of pressure and vibration.
Origin:
1875–80; after Filippo Pacini (1812–83), Italian anatomist; see -ian
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To pacinian corpuscle
Pa·cin·i·an corpuscle   (pə-sĭn'ē-ən)   
n.  An encapsulated receptor found in deep layers of the skin that senses vibratory pressure and touch.

[After Filippo Pacini (1812-1883), Italian anatomist.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: Pa·cin·i·an corpuscle
Pronunciation: p&-"sin-E-&n-
Variant: also Pa·ci·ni's corpuscle /p&-'chE-nEz-/
Function: noun
: an oval capsule that terminates some sensory nerve fibers especially in the skin of the hands and feet —see CORPUSCLE OF HERBST
Pacini, Filippo (1812–1883), Italian anatomist. Pacini devoted hismedical career to microscopic research. In 1831, while dissecting a hand, he observed the corpuscles around the branches of the median nerve to the digits. These corpuscles, now known as Paciniancorpuscles, had been originally described in 1741, but Pacini was the first to describe their distribution in the body, their microscopic structure, and their nerve connections. He also related thefunction of the corpuscles to the sensation of touch and deep pressure.
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

pacinian corpuscle n.
See lamellated corpuscle.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see pacinian corpuscle on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way