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kinesis

[ki-nee-sis, kahy-]
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noun Physiology.
  1. 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

-kinesis

  1. 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).
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Compare -kinesia.

Origin of -kinesis

< Greek -kīnēsis; see kinesis
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for kinesis

Historical Examples

  • 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

noun
  1. 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
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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

n.

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

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
kinesis in Medicine

kinesis

(kə-nē′sĭs, kī-)
n. pl. ki•ne•ses (-sēz′)
  1. Motion or physical movement, especially movement that is induced by stimulation.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.