Receptors for touch that are found in the papillary (upper) region of the dermis of the skin. Named after German anatomist Georg Meissner (1829–1905), each consists of a mass of dendrites encapsulated by connective tissue. The corpuscles are fast-adapting receptors, meaning that they respond primarily to changes in pressure on the skin, as when an object is rolled between the fingers. They occur in abundance in the palms of the hands, fingertips, and soles of the feet as well as in the nipples and tip of the penis. Compare ruffini’s capsule.