Chemoreceptive

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the ability of an organism to perceive and respond to chemical signals in its surroundings
2. Concerning the physiological processes that enable detection of chemical stimuli in the environment
3. Pertaining to the capacity to sense and react to chemical substances in the environment

Etymology: The first half of this word is the surprising part. "Chemo-" comes from "chemistry," which traces back through New Latin "chemia" to Medieval Latin "alchemia" and Arabic "al-kīmiyāʾ," a name whose ultimate Greek source, "khumeia," referred to the art of metal-working and transmuting substances rather than to the modern science. The Arabic article "al-" is still visible inside it, a reminder that the Greek-Arabic-Latin chain runs right through the word. The second half is much older and more ordinary. "Receptive" is built from the Latin verb "recipere," meaning "to take back" or "to receive," through the past participle "receptus" and the Medieval Latin adjective "receptivus," which passed into Middle English. Its suffix "-ive" marks a tendency or capacity, so "receptive" means able or inclined to take something in. "Chemoreceptive" joins these two halves into a plain compound, meaning capable of taking in chemical stimuli. The word is a modern scientific formation, made by attaching "chemo-" to the established English adjective "receptive."