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