Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

proxemics

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.14 in modern English

Syllables: prox-emics
IPA

22

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The study of the effects of the physical distance between people in different cultures and societies.

Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Proxemics refers to the personal distance that individuals prefer to keep between themselves and other individuals and is an important element of nonverbal communication."

Etymology

From prox- (“proximity, nearness”) + -eme + -ic + -s. Clipping of proximity + modeling on phonemics. Coined by American anthropologist Edward T. Hall in 1963.

Usage

Uncountable

Derived Forms

proxemical

Frequently Paired Words

chronemics haptics kinesics vocalics

Questions

What does proxemics mean?: The study of the effects of the physical distance between people in different cultures and societies.
Where does proxemics come from?: From prox- (“proximity, nearness”) + -eme + -ic + -s. Clipping of proximity + modeling on phonemics. Coined by American anthropologist Edward T. Hall in 1963.

How to pronounce proxemics

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “proxemics”.
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