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Glite Dictionary
plantar reflex

plantar reflex

7.1
An automatic movement where the toes bend when the sole of the foot is stroked firmly, usually seen in adults
  • noun
  • /ˈplæntɑr rɪˈflɛks/
  • Specialized
translation icon : reflejo plantar
  • The doctor checked the patient's plantar reflex by stroking the sole of his foot.

Examples

  • During the neurological assessment, we observed the plantar reflex response in the patient’s toes.

  • The plantar reflex is an important indicator of neurological health during a physical examination.

  • The extensor plantar reflex indicates a possible lesion on the brain.

    Cry Freedom (1987)

Antonyms

areflexia
  • Specialized
1 9.9

The body has no reflexes when a doctor taps muscles, often from nerve damage

Surface Forms

plantar reflex singular
plantar reflexes plural

Morphology

plantar + reflex

The term is transparently compositional: 'plantar' means 'pertaining to the sole/bottom of the foot' and 'reflex' means an automatic bodily response, so a learner can infer it refers to a reflex of the sole (e.g. toe movement when the sole is stroked). This follows a regular adjective + noun pattern used cross-linguistically in medical terminology, making the meaning predictable for someone who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Plantar reflex comes from plantar, meaning 'the bottom of the foot', and reflex, meaning 'an automatic movement'. When a doctor strokes the sole and the toes bend, that automatic toe movement is the 'plantar reflex', so the name describes the action doctors check.