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Glite Dictionary
suckling reflex

suckling reflex

5.9
An automatic movement in newborn animals like human babies that makes them find the mother's nipple and take milk
  • noun
  • /ˈsʌklɪŋ ˈriːflɛks/
  • Specialized
translation icon : reflejo de succión
  • When a baby is hungry, the suckling reflex prompts them to latch onto the breast and begin nursing.

Examples

  • Doctors observe the suckling reflex to ensure that newborn mammals are capable of feeding properly.

  • OK, very simple changes in threshold of the rooting reflex and the suckling reflex are what occur.

  • The suckling reflex helps newborns instinctively find their mother's nipple for feeding.

Surface Forms

suckling reflex singular
suckling reflexes plural

Morphology

suckling + reflex

The noun phrase directly combines 'suckling' (an infant feeding action) with 'reflex' (an automatic bodily response), so its meaning — an automatic feeding response in newborns — is transparently derivable from the parts. This follows a common noun-modifier composition pattern and is cross-linguistically regular, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will likely understand it.

Etymology

Suckling reflex comes from a simple baby action: when a newborn's cheek or lip is touched, the baby turns, opens the mouth and starts to suckle, an automatic action called a reflex. That's why the term describes the built-in movement that helps a baby 'feed' right after birth.