autokinesis
|au-to-ki-ne-sis|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔːtoʊkɪˈniːsɪs/
🇬🇧
/ˌɔːtəʊkɪˈniːsɪs/
self-movement
Etymology
'autokinesis' originates from modern scientific coinage based on Greek, specifically from 'autókinesis' where 'autós' meant 'self' and 'kinesis' meant 'movement'.
'autokinesis' was formed in New Latin/modern scientific usage from the ancient Greek elements 'autós' + 'kinesis' and entered English in the late 19th to early 20th century as a technical term.
Initially, the compound simply meant 'self-movement'; over time it came to be used more narrowly in optics and psychology to denote the illusion of apparent motion of a stationary light, while retaining broader biological senses in some contexts.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an optical illusion in which a stationary point of light viewed in darkness appears to move.
Pilots must be aware of autokinesis when flying at night; a distant stationary light can seem to drift.
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Noun 2
spontaneous or self-generated movement of an organism or part of an organism, not caused by an external stimulus.
In some single-celled organisms researchers observed autokinesis under certain conditions.
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Last updated: 2025/11/26 08:44