Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
adjective
- of or relating to a knee-jerk.
- Informal. reacting according to a certain habitual manner; unthinking: a knee-jerk liberal.
noun
- a reflex extension of the leg, caused by contraction of the quadriceps, resulting from a sharp tap on the patellar tendon; patellar reflex.
noun
- Also called: patellar reflex physiol an outward reflex kick of the lower leg caused by a sharp tap on the quadriceps tendon just below the patella
adjective kneejerk
- made or occurring as a predictable and automatic response, without thoughtkneejerk support
patellar reflex, neurological phenomenon discovered and named 1876; the figurative use appeared soon after the phrase was coined.
n.
- patellar reflex