knee-jerk
knee-jerk · knee-jerks
Kniereflex, Kniesehnenreflex, Patellarreflex, Patellarsehnenreflex
A sudden reflexive movement of the leg below the knee, as a reaction to a tap to the…A sudden reflexive movement of the leg below the knee, as a reaction to a tap to the tendon just below the patella (kneecap).
Meaning
1 sensesA sudden reflexive movement of the leg below the knee, as a reaction to a tap to the tendon just below the patella (kneecap).
Kniereflex, Kniesehnenreflex, Patellarreflex
Translations
2 languagesDeutsch
By meaning 1
reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee:
Origin
From knee + jerk, First attested c. 1876, and derived from a figurative sense of the patelFrom knee + jerk, First attested c. 1876, and derived from a figurative sense of the patellar reflex.
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