effector
noun
ef·fec·tor
i-ˈfek-tər 
-ˌtȯr
plural effectors
1
: one that causes or brings about something
an effector of change
… sheer force of personality as an effector of discipline …—
Nathaniel Burt
Nathaniel BurtWe must be effectors of positive change by supporting the revised science standards in full …—Emily Her
Emily Her2
a
: a bodily tissue, structure, or organ (such as a gland or muscle) that becomes active in response to stimulation
Nerve cells (neurons) convey messages by electrical pulses that pass down the nerve fiber (axon) until they reach the junction with the next neuron or an effector such as a muscle.—Steven Rose
Steven RoseMotor neurons carry out-going signals from the brain or spinal cord to the effector organs, namely the muscles and glands.—Rita L. Atkinson et al.
Rita L. Atkinson et al.
b
: a molecule (such as an inducer or a corepressor) that activates, controls, or inactivates a process or action (such as protein synthesis)
What are the cell effectors that induce the physiologic turnover of sphingolipids? An obvious set of such effectors includes steroid hormones, tumor necrosis factor … and other chalones and suppressors of cell growth.—Yusuf A. Hannun and Robert M. Bell
Yusuf A. Hannun and Robert M. BellThese … G-proteins, act as intermediates or transducers between the receptor for a given stimulus and the effector protein or enzyme that effects the response to the stimulus …—Douglas Kline
Douglas Kline
c
: effector cell
… the macrophage has a dual role: that of antigen presentation, and, as an activated macrophage, that of an effector.—Emil R. Unanue
Emil R. UnanueCell-surface receptors for immunoglobulins play a vital part in immunity by transporting immunoglobulins or by triggering immune effector functions after antibodies have bound to antigens.—Alan F. Williams
Alan F. Williams3
robotics
: end effector
Traditional changeovers are done during a shift, when an operator will unbolt an effector and rebolt another one in its place.—Lauren Gibbons Paul
Lauren Gibbons PaulExamples of effector in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Bumps that accommodate control effectors for flaps and so on are on the top of the wings, not the bottom.
—Jacek Krywko, Ars Technica, 29 Mar. 2024
Genome-editing tools such as zinc finger nucleases and TALENs (transcription activator-like effector nucleases) already existed, but Crispr proved to be far more efficient, not to mention easier and cheaper to use.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 19 Dec. 2023
To regulate temperature, for example, effectors include blood vessels and sweat glands in the skin.
—Eva Botkin-Kowacki, Popular Science, 28 June 2023
Three things—receptors, an integrating center, and effectors—maintain homeostasis.
—Eva Botkin-Kowacki, Popular Science, 28 June 2023
Technically, compressed air is not the only option, as a plasma effectors and others methods can also be used to manipulate air flow.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 17 May 2023
In all, Foralumab induces many factors that impact improved tissue remodeling, induction of immune cells, and restriction of effector function, improving disease outcomes while fighting the virus to full strength.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023
The low-level policies are from RT-1 (Brohan et al., 2022), a transformer model that takes RGB image and natural language instruction, and outputs end-effector control commands.
—Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 7 Mar. 2023
The end-effector achieves high accuracy through the use of multiple contact points, compliance, and actuation.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Jan. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Jacek Krywko, Ars Technica, 29 Mar. 2024
Genome-editing tools such as zinc finger nucleases and TALENs (transcription activator-like effector nucleases) already existed, but Crispr proved to be far more efficient, not to mention easier and cheaper to use.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 19 Dec. 2023
To regulate temperature, for example, effectors include blood vessels and sweat glands in the skin.
—Eva Botkin-Kowacki, Popular Science, 28 June 2023
Three things—receptors, an integrating center, and effectors—maintain homeostasis.
—Eva Botkin-Kowacki, Popular Science, 28 June 2023
Technically, compressed air is not the only option, as a plasma effectors and others methods can also be used to manipulate air flow.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 17 May 2023
In all, Foralumab induces many factors that impact improved tissue remodeling, induction of immune cells, and restriction of effector function, improving disease outcomes while fighting the virus to full strength.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 16 Mar. 2023
The low-level policies are from RT-1 (Brohan et al., 2022), a transformer model that takes RGB image and natural language instruction, and outputs end-effector control commands.
—Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 7 Mar. 2023
The end-effector achieves high accuracy through the use of multiple contact points, compliance, and actuation.
—IEEE Spectrum, 23 Jan. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Effector.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effector. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
effector
noun
ef·fec·tor
i-ˈfek-tər
-ˌtȯ(ə)r
: a bodily part (as a gland or muscle) that becomes active in response to stimulation (as by a nerve)
Medical Definition
effector
noun
ef·fec·tor
i-ˈfek-tər
-ˌtȯ(ə)r
-ˌtȯ(ə)r
1
: a bodily tissue, structure, or organ (as a gland or muscle) that becomes active in response to stimulation
Unlike the motor pathways of the somatic nervous system, which usually include a single neuron between the brain or spinal cord and an effector, those of the autonomic system involve two neurons.—John W. Hole
John W. Hole2
: a molecule (as an inducer, a corepressor, or an enzyme) that activates, controls, or inactivates a process or action (as protein synthesis or the release of a second messenger)
What are the cell effectors that induce the physiologic turnover of sphingolipids? An obvious set of such effectors includes steroid hormones, tumor necrosis factor … and other chalones and suppressors of cell growth.—Yusuf A. Hannun and Robert M. Bell
Yusuf A. Hannun and Robert M. Bell3
: effector cell
… the macrophage has a dual role: that of antigen presentation, and, as an activated macrophage, that of an effector.—Emil R. Unanue
Emil R. UnanueLove words? Need even more definitions?
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