taxis

¹ American  

[tak-sis] / ˈtæk sɪs /

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.

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taxis ² American  

[tak-seez] / ˈtæk siz /

noun

1. a plural of taxi.

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-taxis ³ American  

1. a combining form representing taxis1 in compound words.

   heterotaxis.

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-taxis ¹ British  

combining form

1. indicating movement towards or away from a specified stimulus

   thermotaxis

2. order or arrangement

   phyllotaxis

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taxis ² British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• -tactic combining form

Etymology

Origin of taxis

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

Example Sentences

She said that more taxis in bus lanes was a "step backwards" on addressing traffic congestion and "adds another element of risk" for cyclists.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

“By carefully choosing our location, 90% of our daily needs are within a 10-minute stroll. Otherwise, we take taxis with an average fare of $2.50 or ride Cuenca’s light rail for 17 cents.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Services such as couriers, taxis and retail business all depend on the mobile internet.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

"There are colleagues who have been here for four hours," said Emmanuel Gedeon Nzunzi, who drives one of the motorcycle taxis that are essential in the overcrowded and congested city of around 17 million people.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

With all this lack of sleep, he was quite drowsy the next morning when he had to call the taxis to get to the theater.

From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater