body language

body language

Etymology: AS, bodig + L, lingua, tongue

a set of nonverbal signals, including body movements, postures, gestures, spatial positions, facial expressions, and body adornment, that give expression to various physical, mental, and emotional states. See also kinesics.

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Body Language

An informal, often culture-independent form of communication in which emotions, feelings, motives, and thoughts are expressed by changes in facial expressions, gestures, posture, body positions, and other nonverbal signs

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language [lang´gwij]

1. the use of a meaningful pattern of vocal sounds (or corresponding written symbols) to convey thoughts and feelings, or a system of such patterns that is understood by a group of people.

2. by extension, any of various other systems of communication that use sets of discrete symbols.

3. any of numerous sets of standardized vocabulary terms for use among health care providers in a variety of settings allowing comparisons of care across populations, settings, regions, and time. There are over 30 researched standardized health care languages. Called also standardized vocabulary.

body language the expression of thoughts or emotions by means of posture or gesture.

International Sign language a sign language composed of a blending of vocabulary signs from numerous different countries, sometimes used at international meetings and events of deaf persons; formerly called Gestuno.

natural language ordinary language as used by the speakers of that language, as opposed to a language made up for a special purpose (as for use by a computer system).

nursing language any of various sets of standardized terms and definitions for use in nursing to provide standardized descriptions, labels, and definitions for expressing the phenomena of nursing; some include category groupings of terms. The American Nurses Association has recognized twelve official languages.

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body language

the expression of feelings by means of postures or gestures. Flamboyant body language is characteristic of primates but most animal species use gestures to demonstrate their attitudes to other animals and to the environment generally.

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body language

Psychology An informal often culture-independent form of communication in which emotions, feelings, motives, and thoughts are expressed by changes in facial expressions, gestures, posture, body positions, and other nonverbal signs. See Kinesics.