n. 1. Physics A substance or device, such as a piezoelectric crystal, microphone, or photoelectric cell, that converts input energy of one form into output energy of another. 2. Biology Something, such as a receptor in a cell membrane, that transmits a signal within a cell or from the exterior of a cell to its interior. [From Latin trānsdūcere, to transfer : trāns-, trans- + dūcere, to lead; see deuk- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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