Re: REF: def: thigmotaxic

[Ken Umbach <kumbach@UNLIMITED.NET>]

Hi ... you need a better dictionary.  The word "thigmotaxis" appears in
Webster's New World Dictionary of American English, Third College Edition
(Simon and Schuster).  By way of definition, it refers the reader to
"stereotaxis," which, freely translated and applied in context, perhaps
refers to the fact that most folks don't like to touch snakes.  (But read on
...)  The definition of stereotaxis is, quoting from that dictionary: "n.
Biol. the positive, or negative, response of a freely moving organism to
cling to, or avoid, a solid object after contact."  My interpretation above
is that the sentence was intended playfully.  Another interpretation, though
(and perhaps the correct one), is that snakes grab onto something and become
relatively inconspicuous -- wound into a tree branch, say, and hard to see
without very careful observation -- that is, difficult to notice.

BTW, my father was the etymological editor of Webster's New World Dictionary
through three editions published over a period of 40 years.

Regards,

Ken Umbach

At 07:55 AM 3/3/98 -0500, you wrote:
>  A graduate student just challenged me to find the
>definition of this word by the end of the day.  It's not in
>our dictionary.. hey, we're just an elementary school here!
>Can anyone help?  The sentence he gave me was something
>like:  "It's difficult to notice snakes at the zoo because
>of their THIGMOTAXIC nature".   Can anyone help with this
>word, please... ??? (make me look good... ggggg)
--
Kenneth W. Umbach, Ph.D., Policy Analyst
California Research Bureau, California State Library
Sacramento, California
E-mail: kumbach@unlimited.net (or kumbach@library.ca.gov)
Phone (voice) 916-653-6002 (fax) 916-654-5829
Personal Web page and selected papers: http://members.unlimited.net/~kumbach
This message reflects my opinion, not that of my employer or anyone else.

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