kinematics

[ kin-uh-mat-iks, kahy-nuh- ]

/ ˌkɪn əˈmæt ɪks, ˌkaɪ nə- /

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noun (used with a singular verb)Physics.

the branch of mechanics that deals with pure motion, without reference to the masses or forces involved in it.

Also called applied kinematics. the theory of mechanical contrivance for converting one kind of motion into another.

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Origin of kinematics

1830–40; <Greek kīnēmat- (stem of kī́nēma movement; see cinema) + -ics

OTHER WORDS FROM kinematics

kin·e·mat·ic, kin·e·mat·i·cal, adjectivekin·e·mat·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby kinematics

kindred spirit, Kindu, kindy, kine, kinematic pair, kinematics, kinematic viscosity, kinematograph, kinescope, Kineshma, -kinesia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use kinematics in a sentence

Must geometry be regarded both as a branch of kinematics and as a branch of optics?
The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method|Henri Poincar
This copy probably represents the first textbook of kinematics.
Kinematics of Mechanisms from the Time of Watt|Eugene S. Ferguson
The robots were easy enough—just off-the-shelf stuff, really—but the costumes and kinematics routines were something else.
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom|Cory Doctorow
The proof is similar to that of the corresponding theorem of plane kinematics ( 3).
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 8|Various

Kinematics, kin-e-mat′iks, n. the science which treats of motion without reference to force.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)|Various

British Dictionary definitions for kinematics

kinematics

/ (ˌkɪnɪˈmætɪks, ˌkaɪ-) /

noun

(functioning as singular) the study of the motion of bodies without reference to mass or forceCompare dynamics (def. 1)

Derived forms of kinematics

kinematic, adjectivekinematically, adverb

Word Origin for kinematics

C19: from Greek kinēma movement; see cinema, -ics

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

Scientific definitions for kinematics

kinematics

[ kĭn′ə-măt′ĭks ]

The branch of physics that deals with the characteristics of motion without regard for the effects of forces or mass. Compare dynamics.