kinesis

[ ki-nee-sis, kahy- ]

/ kɪˈni sɪs, kaɪ- /

noun Physiology.

the movement of an organism in response to a stimulus, as light.

Nearby words

Origin of kinesis

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

Definition 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. 2019

Examples from the Web for kinesis

Joyce says something of the sort very differently, he is full of technical scholastic terms: "stasis, kinesis," etc.
Instigations|Ezra Pound

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

Word Origin and History for kinesis

kinesis

"physical movement," 1819, from Greek kinesis "movement, motion" (see cite).

Medicine definitions for kinesis

kinesis

[ kə-nē′sĭs, kī- ]

n. pl. ki•ne•ses (-sēz′)

Motion or physical movement, especially movement that is induced by stimulation.