photoreceptive

P3H4O1T1O1R1E1C3E1P3T1I1V4E1

adjective

Absorbing and using light, especially for sensory purposes

OriginEnglish receptive ← Middle English receptive ← Medieval Latin receptivus →
Scrabble 26
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Meanings

adjectivephotoreceptive (not comparable)
  1. not comparablebiologyAbsorbing and using light, especially for sensory purposes

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*bʰeh₂-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*bʰéh₂os
  3. Proto-Hellenic*pʰáwos
  4. Ancient Greekφᾰ́ος (phắos)
  5. Ancient Greekφῶς (phôs)
  6. Ancient Greekφωτο- (phōto-)
  7. Englishphoto-
  8. Latinreceptus
  9. Medieval Latinreceptivus
  10. Middle Englishreceptive
  11. Englishreceptive
  12. Englishphotoreceptive

From photo- + receptive.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

photoreceptive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photoreceptive

MLA

“photoreceptive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photoreceptive. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “photoreceptive,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/photoreceptive.

Source: photoreceptive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.