# Merkel cell

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. An oval receptor cell having synaptic contacts with somatosensory afferents, found in the skin of vertebrates and associated with the sense of light touch discrimination of shapes and textures.

## Etymology
Named after German anatomist Friedrich Sigmund Merkel.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/merkel-cell