refractory period

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun biology The period, after excitation, during which a membrane recovers it polarization and is not able to respond to a second stimulus
• noun a recovery phase after orgasm during which it is physiologically impossible for an individual to have additional orgasms

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun (neurology) the time after a neuron fires or a muscle fiber contracts during which a stimulus will not evoke a response