Taxis
/ˈtæk.siːz/noun
The arrangement or ordering of things; in biology, the directed movement of an organism in response to a stimulus.
Did you know?The same Greek root behind *taxis* also gave English *taxonomy*, because naming and classifying the world was literally seen as a system of ordered placement.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Gk
τάξις (táxis)
“order, arrangement, a fixed arrangement of ranks or troops”
Late Latin
Lat
taxīs
“arrangement, order”
Modern Scientific Latin
Lat
taxis
“ordered movement or orientation of an organism toward or away from a stimulus”
Modern English
Eng
taxis
“order or arrangement, especially in scientific and technical use”