knee reflex
1Knee jerk — The reflex tested by tapping just below the knee causing the lower leg to suddenly jerk forward. What is tapped to elicit this reaction is the patellar tendon, the tendon that runs down from the quadriceps muscle in the front of the thigh, over… …
2Reflex — Re flex (r? fl?ks; formerly r?*fl?ks ), n. [L. reflexus a bending back. See {Reflect}.] 1. Reflection; the light reflected from an illuminated surface to one in shade. [1913 Webster] Yon gray is not the morning s eye, Tis but the pale reflex of… …
3Knee jerk — (Physiol.) A jerk or forward kick of the lower part of the leg produced by a blow or sudden strain upon the patellar tendon of the knee, which causes a sudden contraction of the quadriceps muscle; the patellar reflex. [Webster 1913 Suppl.] …
4knee-jerk — ► NOUN ▪ an involuntary reflex kick caused by a blow on the tendon just below the knee. ► ADJECTIVE ▪ automatic and unthinking: a kneejerk reaction …
5knee-jerk — patellar reflex, neurological phenomenon discovered and named 1876; the figurative use appeared soon after the phrase was coined …
6knee jerk — knee′ jerk n. phl a reflex extension of the leg resulting from a sharp tap on the patellar tendon • Etymology: 1875–80 …
7knee jerk — n. PATELLAR REFLEX …
8Reflex — A reaction that is involuntary. The corneal reflex is the blink that occurs with irritation of the eye. The nasal reflex is a sneeze. * * * 1. An involuntary reaction in response to a stimulus applied to the periphery and transmitted to the… …
9knee jerk — noun a reflex extension of the leg resulting from a sharp tap on the patellar tendon • Syn: ↑knee jerk reflex, ↑patellar reflex • Hypernyms: ↑reflex, ↑reflex response, ↑reflex action, ↑instinctive reflex, ↑ …
10Reflex arc — A reflex arc is a neural pathway that controls an action reflex. In higher animals, most sensory neurons do not pass directly into the brain, but synapse in the spinal cord. This characteristic allows reflex actions to occur relatively quickly by …
