thigmotaxisn.
/θɪɡməʊˈtaksɪs/ Biology.
The way in which an organism moves or disposes itself in response to a touch stimulus, i.e. by being attracted (positive thigmotaxis) or repelled (negative thigmotaxis).
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the world > life > biology > biological processes > movement > movement in response to stimuli > [noun] > response to touch
stereotaxis1897
stereotropism1900
thigmotaxis1900
thigmotropism1900
1900 B. D. Jackson Gloss. Bot. Terms 270/2 Thigmotaxis..is a synonym [of Thigmotropism].
1905 Nature 31 Aug. 426/2 The ‘Thigmotaxis’ exhibited by an oxytrocha moving round a spherical egg, unable to leave its surface.
1909 J. W. Jenkinson Exper. Embryol. 272 Thus we have positive and negative heliotropism, galvanotaxis, geotropism, galvanotropism, thigmotaxis, and so on.
Derivatives
thigmoˈtactic adj. [Greek τακτικός pertaining to arrangement] of, pertaining to, or exhibiting thigmotaxis.
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the world > life > biology > biological processes > movement > movement in response to stimuli > [adjective] > response to touch
thigmotactic1900
stereotactic1902
thigmotropic1909
stereotropic-
1900 in Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. XII. 141 One is the thigmotactic reaction. Starting with the moving infusorian, we find that it reacts to contact with solid bodies of a certain physical texture by suspending part of the usual ciliary motion.
1903 Science 8 May 738 The ventral surface of planarians is strongly positively thigmotactic, whereas the dorsal surface is negatively thigmotactic.
thigmoˈtactically adv.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > biological processes > movement > movement in response to stimuli > [adverb] > response to touch
thigmotactically1901
1901 in Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. XII. 229 A definite rat-hole consciousness that acts, as it were, thigmotactically.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1912; most recently modified version published online June 2018).
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n.1900