Etymology

receptor

re·cep·tor
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Today it means: A protein on a cell wall that binds with specific molecules so that they can be absorbed into the cell in order to control certain functions. Full definition →

Middle English receptour ← Old French receptour ← Latin receptōrius
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromreceptōrius
  2. Old French · derived fromreceptour
  3. Middle English · inherited fromreceptour
  4. English todayreceptor

From Middle English receptour, from Old French receptour or Latin receptōrius, from recipiō (“receive”), from re- (“back”) + capiō (“to hold”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.