taxis

[tak-sis]

noun, plural tax·es [tak-seez] /ˈtæk siz/.

arrangement or order, as in one of the physical sciences.

Biology. oriented movement of a motile organism in response to an external stimulus, as toward or away from light.

Surgery. the replacing of a displaced part, or the reducing of a hernia or the like, by manipulation without cutting.

Architecture. the adaptation to the purposes of a building of its various parts.

Origin of taxis

1720–30; < New Latin < Greek táxis, equivalent to tak- (base of tássein to arrange, put in order) + -sis -sis

taxis

[tak-seez]

noun

a plural of taxi.

taxi

[tak-see]

noun, plural tax·is or tax·ies.

a taxicab.

verb (used without object), tax·ied, tax·i·ing or tax·y·ing.

to ride or travel in a taxicab.

(of an airplane) to move over the surface of the ground or water under its own power.

verb (used with object), tax·ied, tax·i·ing or tax·y·ing.

to cause (an airplane) to taxi.

Origin of taxi

1905–10, Americanism; short for taxicab

Related formsun·tax·ied, adjective

-taxis

a combining form representing taxis1 in compound words: heterotaxis.

Compare tax-, taxi-, taxo-, -taxy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for taxis

transportation, auto, van, truck, bus, convertible, limousine, wagon, car, automobile, bicycle, boat, cab, jeep, carriage, taxicab, give, move, dispatch, bring

Examples from the Web for taxis

Contemporary Examples of taxis

Services like Airbnb, Yelp, and yes, Uber are disrupting long-established industries, from taxis to hotels.
Why Do ‘Progressives’ Want to Ban Uber and AirBnB?
Adam Thierer, Christopher Koopman
December 30, 2014
There were taxis, called “hackneys,” which were rickety stagecoaches cast off by the rich and repurposed as transport for hire.
Great Cities are Born Filthy
Will Doig
July 13, 2014
Of course, harassment happens in taxis just as it does in ridesharing vehicles.
Uber’s Biggest Problem Isn’t Surge Pricing. What If It’s Sexual Harassment by Drivers?
Olivia Nuzzi
March 28, 2014
Two Ukrainian journalists were recently yanked out of taxis and beaten savagely, one shot in the chest and killed.
Ukraine Is On the Verge Of War And Putin Is To Blame
Michael Weiss
February 20, 2014
Promises every avenue in Manhattan will have a dedicated lane for trucks, taxis, and private automobiles between new bike paths.
Up to a Point: 2013 in Review and Predictions for 2014
P. J. O’Rourke
January 1, 2014

Historical Examples of taxis

There was a cab rank some fifty paces beyond, with three taxis stationed there.
The Yellow Claw
Sax Rohmer
And as all the taxis have been taken I—I—— But you haven't room.
Torchy As A Pa
Sewell Ford
Yes; she's so keen on the trap, and the amount it saves in taxis and carriers.
A harum-scarum schoolgirl
Angela Brazil
What has become of all the cabs which have been displaced by the taxis?
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 146, June 17, 1914
Various
Railway tickets, and taxis, and motor-cycles, to begin with.
Number Seventeen
Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for taxis

taxis

noun

the movement of a cell or organism in a particular direction in response to an external stimulus

surgery the repositioning of a displaced organ or part by manual manipulation only

Word Origin for taxis

C18: via New Latin from Greek: arrangement, from tassein to place in order

taxi

noun plural taxis or taxies

Also called: cab, taxicab a car, usually fitted with a taximeter, that may be hired, along with its driver, to carry passengers to any specified destination

verb taxies, taxiing, taxying or taxied

to cause (an aircraft) to move along the ground under its own power, esp before takeoff and after landing, or (of an aircraft) to move along the ground in this way

(intr) to travel in a taxi

Word Origin for taxi

C20: shortened from taximeter cab

-taxis

-taxy

n combining form

indicating movement towards or away from a specified stimulusthermotaxis

order or arrangementphyllotaxis

Derived Forms-tactic or -taxic, adj combining form

Word Origin for -taxis

from New Latin, from Greek taxis order

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 taxis

taxi

1911, from earlier slang use of taxi (n.) for "aircraft." Related: Taxied; taxiing.

taxi

1907, shortening of taximeter cab (introduced in London in March 1907), from taximeter "automatic meter to record the distance and fare" (1898), from French taximètre, from German Taxameter (1890), coined from Medieval Latin taxa "tax, charge." An earlier English form was taxameter (1894), used in horse-drawn cabs. Taxi dancer "woman whose services may be hired at a dance hall" is recorded from 1930. Taxi squad in U.S. football is 1966, from a former Cleveland Browns owner who gave his reserves jobs with his taxicab company to keep them paid and available ["Dictionary of American Slang"], but other explanations (short-term hire or shuttling back and forth from the main team) seem possible.

taxis in Medicine

taxis

[tăk′sĭs]

n. pl. tax•es (tăk′sēz)

The responsive movement of a free-moving organism or cell toward or away from an external stimulus, such as light.

The moving of a body part by manipulation into normal position, as after a dislocation.

-taxis

suff.

Order; arrangement:stereotaxis.

Responsive movement; taxis:chemotaxis.