chemoreception
noun
che·mo·re·cep·tion ˌkē-mō-ri-ˈsep-shən 
: the physiological reception of chemical stimuli
chemoreceptive
ˌkē-mō-ri-ˈsep-tiv
adjective 
Word History
Etymology
borrowed from German Chemoreception (later Chemorezeption), from chemo- chemo- + Reception reception
Note: The term was introduced by the German physiologist Albrecht Bethe (1872-1954) in "Die Nervensytem von Carcinus Maenas. Ein anatomisch-physiologischer Versuch. I. Theil. I. Mittheilung," Archiv für mikroskopische Anatomie und Entwicklungsgeschichte, 50. Band (1897), p. 521.
First Known Use
1901, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
chemoreception
noun
che·mo·re·cep·tion -ri-ˈsep-shən
: the physiological reception of chemical stimuli