[‘ The study or interpretation of physical proximity between people in various situations; the ways in which people interact spatially, esp. in maintaining a certain amount of space between themselves and others.']
Pronunciation: Brit. /prɒkˈsiːmɪks/, U.S. /prɑkˈsimɪks/
Etymology: < /prox-/ (in proximity n.) + -emics (in phonemics n., etc.); apparently coined by Edward T. Hall (see quot. 1963). Compare proxemic adj.
/Sociol./
The study or interpretation of physical proximity between people in various situations; the ways in which people interact spatially, esp. in maintaining a certain amount of space between themselves and others.
1963 E. T. Hall in /Amer. Anthropologist/ *65* 1003 Proxemics, the study of how man unconsciously structures microspace—the distance between men in the conduct of daily transactions, the organization of space in his houses and buildings, and ultimately the layout of his towns.
1974 /Language Sci./ Aug. 32/3 Ever since Edward Hall..made public the results of his research on man’s use of space, the interrelated observations and theories of which he calls proxemics, [etc.].
1987 M. Esslin in D. Walder /Lit. in Mod. World/ (1990) 129 The actor has at his disposal an array of sign systems..: use of the voice in modulating the text, facial expression, gesture (‘kinesics’), and grouping or movement in space (‘proxemics’).
2006 A. Davies /Goodbye Lemon/ ii. 139 Hahva struggles to maintain the distance I’ve requested in deference to my mother’s idea of proxemics.