English

Alternative forms

• kinaesthesia
• kinæsthesia

Noun

kinesthesia ‎(countable and uncountable, plural kinesthesias)

1. Sensation or perception of motion.
   • For usage examples of this term, see Citations:kinesthesia.
   1. (physiology) The perception of the movement of one's own body, its limbs and muscles etc.
   2. (performing arts) A spectator's perception of the motion of a performer, or, the effect of the motion of a scene on the spectator.
2. Proprioception or static position sense; the perception of the position and posture of the body; also, more broadly, including the motion of the body as well. See usage notes below.

Usage notes

• The traditional rules of pronunciation of Greco-Latin vocabulary prefer the I in the first syllable to be long. The more common pronunciation with short I is by analogy with other words from this root such as kinetic and kinesiology where short I is expected.^[1]
• The etymological meaning of the word as used in physiology refers specifically to the motion of the body, and a distinction between kinesthesia and the sense of the position of the body is sometimes made in technical texts. In popular use the distinction is made less often.^[2]

Synonyms

• proprioception
• kinesthesis

Derived terms

Related terms

• inesthesis

Translations

References

1. ↑ John Sargeaunt, The Pronunciation of English Words Derived from the Latin, 1920.
2. ↑ Terence R. Anthoney, Neuroanatomy and the Neurologic Exam: A Thesaurus of Synonyms, Similar-Sounding Non-Synonyms, and Terms of Variable Meaning, 1993. ISBN 0849386314