A.Word.A.Day --proprioception

A.Word.A.Day

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Apr 22, 2024

This week’s theme
Words related to the senses

This week’s words
proprioception
macrosmatic
photophobia
amusia
gustatory

Illustration: Anu Garg + AI

Previous week’s theme
Words made with combining forms

A.Word.A.Day

with Anu Garg

It’s 11 pm. Do you know where your limbs are?

The answer may seem obvious, “Of course, I know where my arms and legs are.” But not so fast. If you have ever stepped on a dance floor and thought you had two left feet, you might have a rethink.

A good dancer knows where their arms and legs are and the rest of their body is in a 3-D space at any time. (In case of a partner dance, the same for their partner’s limbs, too). You can say that an accomplished dancer has a good proprioception.

If you use a keyboard in your daily life, and who doesn’t in these digital times, chances are your fingers have good proprioception and you don’t need to look at the keyboard while typing.

This week we have brought together words related to each of the five senses -- touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste.

Is one of your senses your superpower? Maybe you were born with it, perhaps you developed it by practice. Tell us about it. Conversely, if you are challenged in one of these senses, how do you handle this challenge?

Share below or email us at words@wordsmith.org. Include your location (city, state).

proprioception

PRONUNCIATION:

(pro-pree-uh/oh-SEP-shuhn)

MEANING:

noun: The awareness of location of parts of one’s body.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin proprius (one’s own) + reception, from recipere (to receive), from capere (to take). Earliest documented use: 1906.

USAGE:

“Typing and playing the piano without looking at the keys, for instance, require proprioception.”
Ben McGrath; Muscle Memory; The New Yorker; Jul 30, 2007.

See more usage examples of proprioception in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

The desire of the man is for the woman, but the desire of the woman is for the desire of the man. -Madame de Stael, writer (22 Apr 1766-1817)

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