1. The act of motion; said of the entire body or of one or more of its members or parts. 2. SYN: stool. 3. SYN: defecation. [L. moveo, pp. motus, to move]
- active m. 1. m. effected by the organism itself, unaided by external influences. 2. in physical therapy, a m. that is effected entirely by the patient's muscles, often with the guidance of the therapist.
- after-m. aftermovement.
- ameboid m. the form of m. characteristic of the protoplasm of leukocytes, amebae, and other unicellular organisms; it involves the massing of the protoplasm at a point where surface pressure is least and its extrusion in the form of a pseudopod; the protoplasm may return to the body of the cell, resulting in the retraction of the pseudopod, or the entire mass may flow into the latter and thereby result in locomotion of the cell. SYN: streaming m..
- assistive m. in physical therapy, a m. which is effected with the graduated assistance of the therapist.
- associated movements normal involuntary limb movements that accompany voluntary m., e.g., arm swing with walking.
- border movements any extreme compass of mandibular m. limited by bone, ligaments, or soft tissues; usually applied to horizontal mandibular movements.
- border tissue movements the action of the muscles and other tissues adjacent to the borders of a denture.
- bowel m. defecation.
- brownian m. erratic, nondirectional, zigzag m. observed by ultramicroscope in certain colloidal solutions and by microscope in suspensions of light particulate matter that results from the jostling or bumping of the larger particles by the molecules in the suspending medium which are regarded as being in continuous motion. SYN: brownian motion, brownian-Zsigmondy m., molecular m., pedesis.
- cardinal ocular movements eye rotations to the right and left, upward to the right and left, and downward to the right and left, to diagnose positions of gaze.
- choreic m. an involuntary spasmodic twitching or jerking in groups of muscles not associated in the production of definite purposeful movements.
- ciliary m. the rhythmic, sweeping m. of epithelial cell cilia, of ciliate protozoans, or the sculling m. of flagella, effected possibly by the alternate contraction and relaxation of contractile threads (myoids) on one side of the cilium or flagellum.
- circus m. a contraction or excitation wave traveling continuously in circular fashion around a ring of muscle or through the wall of the heart. SYN: circus rhythm.
- decomposition of m. a manifestation of cerebellar disease in which a muscular m. is not carried out smoothly but in a series of component motions.
- disconjugate m. of eyes rotation of the two eyes in opposite directions, as in convergence or divergence.
- fetal m. the m. characteristic of the fetus in utero; usually commences between the sixteenth and eighteenth weeks of pregnancy. SEE ALSO: quickening.
- fixational ocular m. rotation of the eyes during voluntary fixation on an object; tremors, flicks, and drifts occur.
- flick movements SYN: flicks.
- free mandibular movements 1. any mandibular movements made without tooth interference; 2. any uninhibited movements of the mandible.
- functional mandibular movements all natural, proper, or characteristic movements of the mandible made during speech, mastication, yawning, swallowing, and other associated movements.
- fusional m. a reflex m. that tends to move the visual axes to the object of fixation so that stereoscopic vision is possible.
- Magnan trombone m. an involuntary forward and back m. of the tongue when it is drawn out of the mouth; may be seen in several basal ganglia disorders.
- mandibular m. 1. movements of the lower jaw; 2. all changes in position of which the mandible is capable.
- neurobiotactic m. the streaming of nerve cells toward the area from which they receive the most stimuli.
- paradoxical m. of eyelids spontaneous, involuntary elevation or lowering of the eyelids, associated with m. of extraocular muscles or muscles of mastication (external pterygoids). See jaw winking.
- paradoxical vocal cord m. adduction of the vocal cords on inspiration, resulting in stridor and airway obstruction.
- passive m. 1. m. imparted to an organism or any of its parts by external agency. 2. in physical therapy, a m. that is effected entirely by the therapist without the assistance of the patient's muscles.
- pendular m. a to-and-fro m. of the intestine, without any propelling or peristaltic action, whereby the contents are churned and thoroughly mixed with the intestinal ferments.
- protoplasmic m. m. produced by the inherent power of contraction and relaxation of protoplasm; such movements are of three kinds: muscular, streaming, and ciliary.
- rapid eye movements (REM) symmetrical quick scanning movements of the eyes occurring many times during sleep in clusters for 5 to 60 minutes; associated with dreaming.
- resistive m. in physical therapy, a m. made by the patient against the efforts of the therapist, or one forced by the operator against the resistance of the patient.
- saccadic m. 1. a quick rotation of the eyes from one fixation point to another as in reading; 2. the rapid correction m. of a jerky nystagmus, as in labyrinthine and optokinetic nystagmus.
- Swedish movements a form of kinesitherapy in which certain systematized movements of the body and limbs are regulated by resistance made by an attendant. SYN: Swedish gymnastics.
- translatory m. the motion of the body at any instant when all points within the body are moving at the same velocity and in the same direction.
- vermicular m. SYN: peristalsis.
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move·ment 'müv-mənt n
1) the act or process of moving
2 a) an act of voiding the bowels
b) matter expelled from the bowels at one passage: STOOL
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move·ment (m
vґmənt) 1. an act of changing position; called also motion. 2. defecation (def. 2).
Medical dictionary. 2011.