pilomotor reflex

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Definition
  1. Noun:
    • A physiological response causing hair erection: The pilomotor reflex is an involuntary bodily reaction where the hairs on the skin stand up. This is typically triggered by cold temperatures, emotional stress such as fear or awe, or direct skin irritation.
Usage
  • The term "pilomotor reflex" is a technical, medical term used to describe a specific autonomic reflex. It is most commonly used in scientific, medical, or physiological contexts.
  • It is often explained in layman's terms as "goosebumps" or "gooseflesh."
Examples
  • Noun:
    • The sudden chill in the cave elicited a pilomotor reflex, making the hairs on his arms stand on end.
    • Intense fear can trigger the pilomotor reflex, a vestigial response from our evolutionary past.
    • Researchers studied the pilomotor reflex to understand the autonomic nervous system's response to stimuli.
Advanced Usage
  • "Pilomotor" as a combining form: The word "pilomotor" itself is used in scientific terminology to refer to the muscles (arrector pili muscles) that cause hair to stand up.
    • Pilomotor activity is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system.
Variants and Related Words
  • Goosebumps (n): The common, non-technical term for the visible skin condition resulting from the pilomotor reflex.
    • The beautiful music gave her goosebumps.
  • Gooseflesh (n): Another common term synonymous with goosebumps.
  • Horripilation (n): A less common technical term synonymous with pilomotor reflex.
  • Arrector pili muscle (n): The tiny muscle attached to each hair follicle whose contraction causes the pilomotor reflex.
Synonyms
  • Horripilation: The raising of the hairs on the skin.
  • Cutis anserina: A medical Latin term for goosebumps.
Related Phrases
  • To get goosebumps: An idiomatic phrase meaning to experience the pilomotor reflex, often due to cold or strong emotion.
    • That ghost story always makes me get goosebumps.
  • Hair standing on end: A descriptive phrase for the effect of the pilomotor reflex.
    • The eerie sound made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.
Noun
  1. reflex erection of hairs of the skin in response to cold or emotional stress or skin irritation

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