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

We must be effectors of positive change by supporting the revised science standards in full …

—Emily Her

2

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

Motor 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.

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

These … 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

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

Cell-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

3

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

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

This research concludes by noting the potential of S309 as a Covid-19 countermeasure and that variants of S309 that may have boosted half-lives and effector functions have already entered accelerated development. —William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 26 Apr. 2021

This is demonstrated in a set of real hardware experiments done in free-motion, such as base or end-effector pose tracking, and while pushing/pulling a heavy resistive door. —IEEE Spectrum, 23 Jan. 2023

Last year, scientists at Kyoto University in Japan and elsewhere described one potential way to redress this kind of imbalance: turning effector T cells into regulatory T cells in the lab. —Elizabeth Svoboda, Discover Magazine, 12 June 2020

Memory cells live a long time and protect you even after those effector cells are gone. —Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2021

See More

Word History

Etymology

effect entry 2 + -or entry 1 (after receptor)

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing effector

• effector cell
• end effector

• effector cell
• end effector

Kids 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 

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

2

: 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

3

: effector cell

… the macrophage has a dual role: that of antigen presentation, and, as an activated macrophage, that of an effector.

—Emil R. Unanue