taxis

¹

[tak-sis]

noun

plural

taxes 

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

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

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

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

taxis

²

[tak-seez]

noun

1. a plural of taxi.

-taxis

³

1. a combining form representing taxis1 in compound words.

   heterotaxis.

-taxis

¹

combining form

1. indicating movement towards or away from a specified stimulus

   thermotaxis

2. order or arrangement

   phyllotaxis

taxis

²

/ ˈtæksɪs /

noun

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

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

Other Word Forms

• -tactic combining form

Word History and Origins

Origin of taxis¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of taxis¹

from New Latin, from Greek taxis order

Origin of taxis²

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