flect-, flex-

(Latin: bend, bending; curve, curving; turn, turning)

anteflect
anteflexion
1. The forward curvature of an organ or part, so that its top is turned anteriorly; particularly, the normal forward curvature of the uterus.
2. A displacement forward of an organ; especially, the uterus, in such a manner that its axis is bent upon itself.
baroreflex
1. A reflex triggered by stimulation of a baroreceptor.
2. The reflex responses to a stimulation of baroreceptors of the carotid sinus and aortic arch, regulating blood pressure by controlling heart rate, strength of heart contractions, and diameter of blood vessels.
biflex
Bent at two places.
chemoreflex
1. A reflex caused by a chemical stimulus.
2. A reflex initiated by the stimulation of chemoreceptors, e.g., of a carotid body.
circumflex (s) (noun), circumflexes (pl)
1. A diacritical mark (^) placed above a vowel in some languages to indicate a special phonetic quality: In some languages, a circumflex is above an alphabetical symbol in order to indicate a specific pronunciation, usually different from that of the unaccented letter. Circumflexes may be written over vowels as in French or over consonants as in Esperanto.
2. Curving around: Blood vessels are one kind of a circumflex in the body.
3. Etymology: from Latin circumflexus, past participle of circumflectere, "to bend around" + flectere, "to bend".
deflect (verb), deflects; deflected; deflecting
1. To change course because of hitting something, or change something's course by coming into contact with it: The golf ball was deflected from its direction towards the hole by suddenly swerving to the side of it!
2. To turn aside or cause to turn aside; to bend or to deviate: Jim was able to deflect being hit by the ball by moving quickly to the side.
3. To direct a person's attention or criticism away from a subject or issue to something else: Patty tried to deflect her friend from noticing the pimple on her nose by wearing her prettiest dress.
4. To force someone to change what he or she is doing or planning to do: The fire deflected the new owners from moving into their newly-built home.
deflection (s) (noun), deflections (pl)
1. A change of course that results from hitting someone or something.
2. The amount or distance by which something is deflected.
3. The act of directing people's attention or criticism away from something.
4. A definite movement of the indicator on a measuring instrument.
5. Engineering the movement of a structure or a part of a structure when it is bearing a load.
6. The act or state of deflecting or the state of being deflected; amount of deviation.
7. The deviation of the indicator of an instrument from the position taken as zero.
8. The angle formed by the line of sight to the target and the line of sight to the point at which a weapon is aimed so as to strike the target.
9. Electronics: In a cathode-ray tube; the bending by a magnetic field of the beam of electrons leaving the electron gun.
deflector
flection, flexion, flectional
1. Deviation from a straight or normal course.
2. The act of bending a joint or limb in the body by the action of flexors; the resulting condition of being bent.
3. A part that is bent.
4. The act of bending.
5. The state of being bent.
6. A bend; a bent part.
flex
1. To bend (something pliant or elastic), or to be able to be bent: "The board flexes as you step on it."
2. To bend something, especially a joint of the body.
3. To move or tense (flex) a muscle, or to become tense or contracted.
4. To bend (a joint) repeatedly.
5. To contract (a muscle, for example); to move by muscular control.
6. To exhibit or show off some kind of strength.
flexibility
1. Capable of being bent or flexed; pliable.
2. Capable of being bent repeatedly without injury or damage.
3. Susceptible to influence or persuasion; tractable.
4. Responsive to change; adaptable: "A flexible schedule."
flexible
1. Easily bent, often to a great degree, without breaking; pliable.
2. Adapting or adaptable to changing circumstance: "A flexible plan."
3. Easily swayed or influenced; pliant.
4. Susceptible to influence or persuasion; tractable.
5. Responsive to change; adaptable: "A flexible schedule."
flexibly
flexitarian
1. Anyone who adheres to a diet that consists of non-animal based foods, but occasionally indulges in meat.
2. A person who eats a mostly vegetarian diet, but who is also willing to eat meat or fish occasionally.
3. Etymology: a combination of flexible + vegetarian.
"People are looking at what is in our food supply; hormones, disease, antibiotics, whatever," says Justina Walls, who teaches a class called "Transitioning to Vegetarianism" at Colorado Free University. And that concern has led to a burst of interest in meatless dishes, and a new breed of "flexitarians" who eat primarily fruits, grains and vegetables, but who won't say no to steak or salmon.
—"Go veggie" by Kristin Browning-Blas;
The Denver Post; April 18, 2001.
as seen in Word Spy

Inter-related cross references involving word units meaning "bend, curve, turn": diversi-; diverticul-; gyro-; meand-; -plex; streph-; stroph-; tors-; tropo-; verg-; vers-; volv-.