proxemics

[ prok-see-miks ]

noun(used with a singular verb)

Sociology, Psychology. the study of the spatial requirements of humans and animals and the effects of population density on behavior, communication, and social interaction.
Linguistics. the study of the symbolic and communicative role in a culture of spatial arrangements and variations in distance, as in how far apart individuals engaged in conversation stand depending on the degree of intimacy between them.

Origin of proxemics

First recorded in 1960–65; prox(imity) + (phon)emics; apparently coined by U.S. anthropologist Edward T. Hall (1914–2009)

Other words from proxemics

prox·e·mic, adjective

See also personal space.

Words Nearby proxemics

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

British Dictionary definitions for proxemics

proxemics

/ (prɒkˈsɪːmɪks) /

noun

(functioning as singular) the study of spatial interrelationships in humans or in populations of animals of the same species

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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