sensor

[ sen-sawr, -ser ]

noun

1. a mechanical device sensitive to light, temperature, radiation level, or the like, that transmits a signal to a measuring or control instrument.
2. a sense organ.

sensor

/ ˈsɛnsə /

noun

1. anything, such as a photoelectric cell, that receives a signal or stimulus and responds to it

Word History and Origins

Origin of sensor¹

First recorded in 1925–30; sense + -or ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of sensor¹

C19: from Latin sēnsus perceived, from sentīre to observe

Example Sentences

In a room at the obstetric emergency department, a nurse wrapped a sensor belt around Crain’s belly to check the fetal heart rate.

From Salon

In 2022, the team returned with a drone equipped with a lidar sensor, which helped peel back the surfaces to unveil walls, guard towers, intricate architectural features and other fortifications in Tugunbulak.

From BBC

The toilet in that bathroom was motion sensor, so it would go up and down if you walked by it.

From Los Angeles Times

I couldn’t tell this inside my car of course, thanks to air conditioning, but my temperature sensor began climbing to the high 80s in Thousand Oaks and by the time I drove through Tarzana, the gauge read 99 degrees, just 45 miles from where I’d started.

From Los Angeles Times

But a new analysis of sensor data by the National Transportation Safety Board suggested that the noise signalled some kind of change to the fabric of the hull.

From BBC