English
kinesics
Kinesics comes from Ancient Greek κῑ́νησῐς ‘motion’, from κῑνέω ‘I move’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *keyh₂-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*keyh₂-‘to start to move’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκῑνέω‘I move’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκῑ́νησῐςkī́nēsĭs‘motion’
- Englishearliest quotation 1952kinesics
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*keyh₂-‘to start to move’reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκῑνέω‘I move’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEκῑ́νησῐςkī́nēsĭs‘motion’
- Englishearliest quotation 1952kinesics
Earliest quotation: 1952, Ray L. Birdwhistell, Preface: “Section I consists of a brief discussion of the…”
The story
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).
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *keyh₂- ‘to start to move’
citation, recite, incite, kinase, resuscitate, recitative, kinematics, 11 more
through Ancient Greek κῑνέω ‘I move’
cine, cytokine, kinetics, 3 more
through Ancient Greek κῑ́νησῐς ‘motion’
Today it means
noun The study of non-verbal communication by means of gestures and/or other body movements.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *keyh₂- / kinesics