autocinesis
|au-to-ki-ne-sis|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtoʊˈkɪnɪsɪs/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəʊˈkɪnɪsɪs/
self-movement / apparent movement
Etymology
'autocinesis' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'autós' meaning 'self' and 'kinesis' meaning 'movement'.
'autocinesis' (also seen as 'autokinesis') entered English scientific usage via New/Modern Latin and 19th–20th century medical and psychological literature, formed from Greek roots and adapted into English as the technical term 'autocinesis'.
Initially it denoted 'self-motion' in a general sense; over time, especially in psychology/ophthalmology, it came to be used primarily for the specific visual illusion of a stationary light appearing to move.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a visual illusion in which a stationary point of light seen in darkness appears to move when stared at (often experienced when observing a single small light in a dark environment).
When I stared at the single beacon on the distant hillside, I experienced autocinesis — the light seemed to drift.
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Noun 2
(Rare) Self-generated or spontaneous movement; motion originating from the organism or object itself (used in biology/physics contexts).
Researchers described the amoeba's autocinesis when it shifted position without an external stimulus.
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Last updated: 2025/11/24 11:00