Taxis (Noun)
Meaning 1
A locomotor response toward or away from an external stimulus by a motile (and usually simple) organism.
Classification
Nouns denoting acts or actions.
Examples
- Roots of the seedling exhibit taxis as they grow downward in response to the gravitational stimulus.
- Light taxis is observed in certain bacteria, which move towards a beam of light as they require it to undergo photosynthesis.
- The motile cells of certain bacteria move towards chemical taxis gradients and are attracted to or repelled by specific substances.
- Many examples of taxis can be seen in microorganisms, such as a phototaxis of certain cells moving towards or away from sunlight.
- The cells in the paramecium exhibit taxis based on whether they are exposed to cold or warm temperatures in their environment.
Hypernyms
Meaning 2
The surgical procedure of manually restoring a displaced body part.
Classification
Nouns denoting acts or actions.
Examples
- The orthopedic surgeon used taxis to carefully maneuver the femur back into place after the fracture.
- Taxis of the shoulder joint often involves applying gentle traction to restore range of motion.
- The patient required taxis to correct the partial dislocation of his patella after the accident.
- A skilled hand is necessary for taxis of delicate anatomical structures such as the orbitofrontal bone.
- Orthopedic residents practiced various techniques of taxis on each other during their residency training.