kinesics
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kinesics
- /kɪˈniːsɪks/ UK
- /kaɪ-/ UK
- /kəˈnisɪks/ US
Where it comes from
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek κῑ́νησῐς (kī́nēsĭs, “motion”, noun) + English -ics (suffix forming nouns denoting fields of knowledge or practice), coined by the American anthropologist Ray L. Birdwhistell (1918–1994) in his work Introduction to Kinesics (1952) (see the quotation). Κῑ́νησῐς (Kī́nēsĭs) is derived from κῑνέω (kīnéō, “to set in motion, move”) (from Proto-Indo-European *ḱey- (“to be lying down; to settle”)) + -σῐς (-sĭs, suffix forming abstract nouns or nouns of action, process, or result). Compare kinesia and kinesic.
noun
- The study of non-verbal communication by means of gestures and/or other body movements. Section I consists of a brief discussion of the general field of kinesics which, it is hoped, will be suggestive to others working in this area whether their central focus be linguistic, psychiatric, or general cultural. The field of kinesics is divided methodologically in a manner approximating the
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Such non-verbal communication.
Similar: body language
Translations
Talk about this word "kinesics." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/kinesics. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. kinesics. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/kinesics "kinesics." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/kinesics.Cite this
@misc{kinesics_2026,
title = {kinesics},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/kinesics},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
