kinesis

¹ American  

[ki-nee-sis, kahy-] / kɪˈni sɪs, kaɪ- /

noun

Physiology.

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

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-kinesis ² American  

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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kinesis British  

/ kɪˈniːsɪs, kaɪ- /

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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Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of kinesis¹

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

Origin of -kinesis²

< Greek -kīnēsis; kinesis

Explanation

In biology, the term kinesis means movement, especially the kind that's caused by a stimulus. If you turn on the kitchen light at night and see cockroaches scatter, they are showing kinesis. The word kinesis comes up in biology class, especially if you're studying the behavior of animals. When animals are affected by a stimulus — like light, sound, or physical touch — and react by moving, that's kinesis. One distinguishing trait of kinesis is that the movement it causes is random, not directly connected to the stimulus. The word kinesis is Greek, meaning simply "movement or motion."

Example Sentences

A similar, but more directed version of kinesis is taxis: the directed movement towards or away from a stimulus.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Despite the unwieldy narrative complications, Hosoda achieves an adroit, ultimately instructive balance of kinesis and stillness.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 13, 2022

The nifty effect lends the production a jaunty cinematic sense of kinesis, while also helping to propel the evening’s farcical mechanics.

From Washington Post • Jul. 30, 2018

Its myriad hanging tassels further adding to a visual kinesis.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 19, 2018

Her hair, unburned, was wild once more, still crackling with the fire’s kinesis, and Sarai knew that if she touched it, it would feel like a bed of coals, and so would her bare skin.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor