what's that? i suppose it's some kind of neural receptor.. if anyone could give me some more precised definition, i would be grateful.

AS precise as I can be it's a sensory receptor which responds to pain.

from http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/omd/
(I gather the OMD at the end stands for "online medical dictionary," which it is):

nociceptor: A peripheral nerve organ or mechanism for the reception and transmission of painful or injurious stimuli.

Origin: noci-+ L. Capio, to take
(05 Mar 2000)

thanks for your responses and for that excellent link