See knee-jerk in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
Download JSON data for knee-jerk meaning in English (6.4kB)
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "knee",
"3": "jerk"
},
"expansion": "knee + jerk",
"name": "compound"
}
],
"etymology_text": "knee + jerk, First attested 1876, derived from a figurative sense of the patellar reflex.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "more knee-jerk",
"tags": [
"comparative"
]
},
{
"form": "most knee-jerk",
"tags": [
"superlative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "knee-jerk (comparative more knee-jerk, superlative most knee-jerk)",
"name": "en-adj"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [],
"derived": [
{
"word": "knee-jerkish"
},
{
"word": "knee-jerkishly"
},
{
"word": "knee-jerky"
}
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "He gave a knee-jerk response.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "2022 March 23, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Drains, trains and Control”, in RAIL, number 953, page 3",
"text": "There were knee-jerk demands from trade unions for immediate withdrawal of all HSTs; these were wrong-headed.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2023 March 15, Michael J. de la Merced, Maureen Farrell, “Credit Suisse to Borrow Up to $54 Billion From Central Bank”, in The New York Times",
"text": "The knee-jerk reaction is further evidence of just how panicked investors are about the stability of the global financial system after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank last week.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Unthinking, not carefully considered, (nearly) automatic, spontaneous, easily predictable."
],
"id": "en-knee-jerk-en-adj-kho6nc0r",
"links": [
[
"Unthinking",
"unthinking"
],
[
"considered",
"considered"
],
[
"automatic",
"automatic"
],
[
"spontaneous",
"spontaneous"
],
[
"predictable",
"predictable"
]
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"word": "voorspelbaar"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"word": "selkäydin- (such as selkäydinreaktio)"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"word": "prévisible"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"word": "reflexartig"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"word": "vorhersehbar"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"word": "automatisch"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "ósjálfráður"
},
{
"code": "no",
"lang": "Norwegian",
"note": "forventet or forutsigelig or forutsigbar spontanreaksjon",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"tags": [
"masculine"
]
}
]
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "kneejerk"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "knee jerk"
}
],
"word": "knee-jerk"
}
{
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "knee",
"3": "jerk"
},
"expansion": "knee + jerk",
"name": "compound"
}
],
"etymology_text": "knee + jerk, First attested 1876, derived from a figurative sense of the patellar reflex.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "knee-jerks",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "knee-jerk (plural knee-jerks)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
{
"_dis": "44 56",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
"parents": [
"Entries with incorrect language header",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "30 70",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"parents": [
"Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "37 63",
"kind": "other",
"name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"parents": [
"Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"Entry maintenance"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "13 87",
"kind": "topical",
"langcode": "en",
"name": "Physiology",
"orig": "en:Physiology",
"parents": [
"Biology",
"Medicine",
"Sciences",
"All topics",
"Fundamental"
],
"source": "w+disamb"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A sudden reflexive movement of the leg below the knee, as a reaction to a tap to the tendon just below the patella (kneecap)."
],
"id": "en-knee-jerk-en-noun-6PrGGJRJ",
"links": [
[
"reflexive",
"reflexive"
],
[
"movement",
"movement"
],
[
"tap",
"tap"
],
[
"tendon",
"tendon"
],
[
"patella",
"patella"
],
[
"kneecap",
"kneecap"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "kneejerk reflex"
},
{
"word": "patellar reflex"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"word": "patellaarirefleksi"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"word": "polviheijaste"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Kniereflex"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Kniesehnenreflex"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Patellarreflex"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Patellarsehnenreflex"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "Kniephänomen"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "hnéviðbragð"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "hnékippur"
},
{
"code": "no",
"lang": "Norwegian",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "knerefleks"
},
{
"code": "no",
"lang": "Norwegian",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "patellarefleks"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "reflejo rotuliano"
}
]
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "kneejerk"
},
{
"_dis1": "0 0",
"word": "knee jerk"
}
],
"word": "knee-jerk"
}
{
"categories": [
"English adjectives",
"English compound terms",
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English nouns",
"English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"en:Physiology"
],
"derived": [
{
"word": "knee-jerkish"
},
{
"word": "knee-jerkishly"
},
{
"word": "knee-jerky"
}
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "knee",
"3": "jerk"
},
"expansion": "knee + jerk",
"name": "compound"
}
],
"etymology_text": "knee + jerk, First attested 1876, derived from a figurative sense of the patellar reflex.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "more knee-jerk",
"tags": [
"comparative"
]
},
{
"form": "most knee-jerk",
"tags": [
"superlative"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "knee-jerk (comparative more knee-jerk, superlative most knee-jerk)",
"name": "en-adj"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "adj",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations",
"English terms with usage examples"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "He gave a knee-jerk response.",
"type": "example"
},
{
"ref": "2022 March 23, Nigel Harris, “Comment: Drains, trains and Control”, in RAIL, number 953, page 3",
"text": "There were knee-jerk demands from trade unions for immediate withdrawal of all HSTs; these were wrong-headed.",
"type": "quotation"
},
{
"ref": "2023 March 15, Michael J. de la Merced, Maureen Farrell, “Credit Suisse to Borrow Up to $54 Billion From Central Bank”, in The New York Times",
"text": "The knee-jerk reaction is further evidence of just how panicked investors are about the stability of the global financial system after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank last week.",
"type": "quotation"
}
],
"glosses": [
"Unthinking, not carefully considered, (nearly) automatic, spontaneous, easily predictable."
],
"links": [
[
"Unthinking",
"unthinking"
],
[
"considered",
"considered"
],
[
"automatic",
"automatic"
],
[
"spontaneous",
"spontaneous"
],
[
"predictable",
"predictable"
]
]
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "kneejerk"
},
{
"word": "knee jerk"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"word": "voorspelbaar"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"word": "selkäydin- (such as selkäydinreaktio)"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"word": "prévisible"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"word": "reflexartig"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"word": "vorhersehbar"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"word": "automatisch"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "ósjálfráður"
},
{
"code": "no",
"lang": "Norwegian",
"note": "forventet or forutsigelig or forutsigbar spontanreaksjon",
"sense": "reacting unthinkingly or spontaneously in an expected manner",
"tags": [
"masculine"
]
}
],
"word": "knee-jerk"
}
{
"categories": [
"English adjectives",
"English compound terms",
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
"English lemmas",
"English multiword terms",
"English nouns",
"English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
"en:Physiology"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"2": "knee",
"3": "jerk"
},
"expansion": "knee + jerk",
"name": "compound"
}
],
"etymology_text": "knee + jerk, First attested 1876, derived from a figurative sense of the patellar reflex.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "knee-jerks",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {},
"expansion": "knee-jerk (plural knee-jerks)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"glosses": [
"A sudden reflexive movement of the leg below the knee, as a reaction to a tap to the tendon just below the patella (kneecap)."
],
"links": [
[
"reflexive",
"reflexive"
],
[
"movement",
"movement"
],
[
"tap",
"tap"
],
[
"tendon",
"tendon"
],
[
"patella",
"patella"
],
[
"kneecap",
"kneecap"
]
]
}
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "kneejerk reflex"
},
{
"word": "patellar reflex"
},
{
"word": "kneejerk"
},
{
"word": "knee jerk"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"word": "patellaarirefleksi"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"word": "polviheijaste"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Kniereflex"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Kniesehnenreflex"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Patellarreflex"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Patellarsehnenreflex"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "Kniephänomen"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "hnéviðbragð"
},
{
"code": "is",
"lang": "Icelandic",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "hnékippur"
},
{
"code": "no",
"lang": "Norwegian",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "knerefleks"
},
{
"code": "no",
"lang": "Norwegian",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "patellarefleks"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "reflex extension of the lower leg due to tap below knee",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "reflejo rotuliano"
}
],
"word": "knee-jerk"
}
{
"called_from": "form_descriptions/1089",
"msg": "suspicious unhandled suffix in Norwegian: 'forventet or forutsigelig or forutsigbar spontanreaksjon', originally 'forventet or forutsigelig or forutsigbar spontanreaksjon m'",
"path": [
"knee-jerk"
],
"section": "English",
"subsection": "adjective",
"title": "knee-jerk",
"trace": ""
}
{
"called_from": "translations/609-20230504",
"msg": "Translation too long compared to word, so it is skipped",
"path": [
"knee-jerk"
],
"section": "English",
"subsection": "adjective",
"title": "knee-jerk",
"trace": ""
}
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-05 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-05-02 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.