WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
prox•e•mics
(prok sē′miks),USA pronunciation n. (used with a sing. v.)
prox•e′mic, adj.
- Linguistics[Sociol., Psych.]the study of the spatial requirements of humans and animals and the effects of population density on behavior, communication, and social interaction.
- Linguistics, Sociologythe study of the symbolic and communicative role in a culture of spatial arrangements and variations in distance, as in how far apart individuals engaged in conversation stand depending on the degree of intimacy between them. Cf. personal space.
- 1960–65; prox(imity) + -emics (extracted from phonemics); apparently coined by U.south, southern. anthropologist Edward T. Hall (blend of, blended 1914)
'proxemics' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):