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kinesis

[ ki-nee-sis, kahy- ]
/ kɪˈni sɪs, kaɪ- /
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noun Physiology.
the movement of an organism in response to a stimulus, as light.
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Origin of kinesis

1900–05; <Greek kī́nēsis movement, equivalent to kīnē-, verbid stem of kīneîn to move + -sis-sis

Other definitions for kinesis (2 of 2)

-kinesis

a combining form with the general sense “movement, activity,” used in the formation of compound words, often with the particular senses “reaction to a stimulus” (photokinesis), “movement without an apparent physical cause” (telekinesis), “activity within a cell” (karyokinesis).
Compare -kinesia.

Origin of -kinesis

<Greek -kīnēsis;see kinesis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

WORDS THAT USE -KINESIS

What does -kinesis mean?

The combining form -kinesis is used like a suffix meaning “movement, activity.” It can have a variety of senses, including “reaction to a stimulus,” “movement without an apparent physical cause,” or “activity within a cell.” It is often used in scientific and technical terms, especially in biology.

The form -kinesis comes from Greek -kīnēsis, meaning “motion,” from the verb kīneîn, “to move.” The Latin cognate of kīneîn is ciēre (stem cit-), meaning “to move, set in motion,” which is the source of words such as cite and resuscitate. To learn more, check out our entries for both words.

What are variants of -kinesis?

While not a variant of -kinesis, the form -kinesia, meaning “movement, muscular activity,” as in hyperkinesia comes from the same Greek root. The adjectival form of -kinesis is -kinetic, as in bradykinetic. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles on -kinesia and -kinetic.

Examples of -kinesis

An example of a word you may have encountered that features -kinesis is telekinesis, or psychokinesis, “the purported ability to move or deform inanimate objects, as metal spoons, through mental processes.”

The tele- part of the word means “distant,” from Greek têle. As we already know, -kinesis means “movement.” Telekinesis literally translates to “movement [at a] distance.”

What are some words that use the combining form -kinesis?

What are some other forms that -kinesis may be commonly confused with?

Break it down!

The combining form photo- means “light.” With this in mind, what does photokinesis mean?

How to use kinesis in a sentence

  • What figurations, what formulas, could describe the inexhaustible kinesis of those years?

    The Svengali of Pop Art|Annie Cohen-Solal|May 13, 2010|DAILY BEAST
  • Joyce says something of the sort very differently, he is full of technical scholastic terms: "stasis, kinesis," etc.

    Instigations|Ezra Pound
  • And the old word kinesis will be correctly given as iesis in corresponding modern letters.

    Cratylus|Plato

British Dictionary definitions for kinesis

kinesis
/ (kɪˈniːsɪs, kaɪ-) /

noun
biology the nondirectional movement of an organism or cell in response to a stimulus, the rate of movement being dependent on the strength of the stimulus
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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