kinesthesia

noun

kin·​es·​the·​sia ˌki-nəs-ˈthē-zh(ē-)ə How to pronounce kinesthesia (audio) ˌkī- How to pronounce kinesthesia (audio)
variants or kinesthesis or chiefly British kinaesthesia or kinaesthesis
plural kinesthesias or kinestheses ˌki-nəs-ˈthē-ˌsēz How to pronounce kinesthesia (audio)
ˌkī-
: a sense mediated by receptors located in muscles, tendons, and joints and stimulated by bodily movements and tensions
also : sensory experience derived from this sense
kinesthetic adjective
or chiefly British kinaesthetic
kinesthetically adverb
or chiefly British kinaesthetically

Examples of kinesthesia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Neurophysiologists call awareness of the movement and position of one's body parts kinesthesia. Robbie Gonzalez, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2018 To feel truly lifelike, prosthetics will require not just kinesthesia, but a sense of touch. Robbie Gonzalez, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2018 The sensation is entirely distinct from touch, yet kinesthesia is equally if not more important for complex motor tasks. Robbie Gonzalez, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2018 This sense of body position, known as kinesthesia, has proved tricky to build into prosthetic arms. Frankie Schembri, Science | AAAS, 14 Mar. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kinesthesia.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Greek kinein + aisthēsis perception — more at anesthesia — see -kinesis

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of kinesthesia was in 1880

Dictionary Entries Near kinesthesia

Cite this Entry

“Kinesthesia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kinesthesia. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

kinesthesia

noun
kin·​es·​the·​sia ˌkin-əs-ˈthē-zh(ē-)ə, ˌkī-nəs- How to pronounce kinesthesia (audio)
variants or kinesthesis or chiefly British kinaesthesia or kinaesthesis
plural kinesthesias or kinestheses -ˌsēz How to pronounce kinesthesia (audio)
: a sense mediated by end organs located in muscles, tendons, and joints and stimulated by bodily movements and tensions
also : sensory experience derived from this sense see muscle sense
kinesthetic adjective
or chiefly British kinaesthetic
kinesthetically adverb
or chiefly British kinaesthetically
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!