telekinetic
Meaning
Relating to the supposed ability to move objects at a distance by mental power or other non-physical means.
Structure
Usage
The film's villain possessed terrifying telekinetic powers, able to hurl cars with a mere thought.
Researchers attempted to test the subject's alleged telekinetic ability under controlled laboratory conditions.
A common trope in superhero stories is a character with telekinetic control over metal or other elements.
Etymology
The word 'telekinetic' is a modern scientific coinage, constructed from ancient Greek elements to precisely describe a specific paranormal concept. The first element, tele-, meaning 'distant', is a common prefix in terms like 'telegraph' and 'television' that involve action over a distance. It is combined with kinetic, which derives from the Greek kinētikos ('of motion'), itself from kinein ('to move'). The suffix -ic forms an adjective. Thus, the literal, morpheme-by-morpheme construction yields 'pertaining to movement at a distance', which is the exact abstract meaning used in parapsychology to describe the movement of objects without physical contact.
Analysis
- tele: From Greek tēle-, meaning 'far off, at a distance'. - kinet: From Greek kinēt-, the stem of kinētos, meaning 'moved, moving', from kinein 'to move'. - ic: A suffix of Greek origin (-ikos) used to form adjectives meaning 'of, pertaining to, or characterized by'.