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🗣️ A questioner 🖼️ A prompt 🧪 A trigger substance
elicitor

elicitor

8.8
Something that makes a plant start a defense reaction
  • noun
  • /ɪˈlɪsɪtər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : elicitor
  • In the study, the researchers tested several elicitors to see which would trigger the plant's immune response.

Examples

  • Certain chemicals act as elicitors that prompt plants to produce defensive compounds against pests.

  • Furthermore, appropriate elicitors must be available within the environment for the manifestations of a given cognitive potential.

    Academic text (1992)

  • Fungi can release elicitors that stimulate the immune systems of neighboring plants.

Synonyms

inducer
vselicitor
  • Specialized
2 7.9

A substance that makes certain genes become active

triggers broader organism responses not limited to gene expression
agonist
vselicitor
  • Specialized
2 7.9

A drug or chemical that binds to a cell receptor and causes a response

causes responses more broadly rather than only by receptor binding
activator
vselicitor
1 5.1

A thing that starts or speeds a process

triggers specifically defensive responses in organisms
effector
vselicitor
1 8.5

A person or thing that makes something happen

is used to name actors that trigger responses rather than downstream results
excitor
vselicitor
  • Specialized
9.8

A device that starts or increases electrical and biological activity

evokes defensive reactions rather than only causing excitation
excitant
vselicitor
  • Specialized
9.9

A medicine or substance that makes the body more active for a short time

prompts defensive responses rather than brief physiological stimulation

How Potent

toxin
  • Specialized
140 5.3
pathogen
  • Specialized
50 5.7
elicitor
  • Specialized
8.8
trace element
  • Specialized
5 4.4

Surface Forms

elicitor singular
elicitors plural

Morphology

elicitor = elicit (transparent) = elicit + or

The biological sense names an agent that elicits a response; the formation 'elicit' + '-or' transparently indicates 'that which elicits'.

Etymology

Elicitor comes from the Latin verb elicit, which means 'to draw out', and the prefix e- means 'out'. In science an elicitor is a substance or agent that 'pulls out' or triggers a reaction in a plant or organism.