REFRACTORY PERIOD Definition & Meaning

refractory period

noun

Physiology.

a short period after a nerve or muscle cell fires during which the cell cannot respond to additional stimulation.

refractory period

noun

a period during which a nerve or muscle is incapable of responding to stimulation, esp immediately following a previous stimulation. In an absolute refractory period there is a total inability to respond; in an effective or relative refractory period there is a response to very large stimuli

refractory period

The period immediately following the transmission of an impulse in nerve or muscle, in which a neuron or muscle cell regains its ability to transmit another impulse.
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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of refractory period¹

First recorded in 1875–80

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

After climax, or resolution, the man enters a “refractory period,” where he has to recover.

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But the HQ refractory period — six to 18 hours — is just long enough to relax you into a state of optimism about playing again.

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It’s like a refractory period for your nose.

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From a purely practical perspective, there is also value in a refractory period — the mind needs time to rest and assimilate the academic year’s content.

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Accordingly, they based their model on neuronal firing – the fact that, once a neuron fires, there’s a refractory period that has to pass before it can fire again.

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