response

[ri-spons] /rɪˈspɒns/
noun
1.
an answer or reply, as in words or in some action.
2.
Biology. any behavior of a living organism that results from an external or internal stimulus.
3.
Ecclesiastical.
  1. a verse, sentence, phrase, or word said or sung by the choir or congregation in reply to the officiant.
    Compare versicle (def 2).
  2. responsory.
4.
Bridge. a bid based on an evaluation of one's hand relative to the previous bid of one's partner.
Origin
1250-1300; < Latin respōnsum, noun use of neuter past participle of respondēre to respond; replacing Middle English respounse < Middle French respons < Latin, as above
Related forms
responseless, adjective
counterresponse, noun
Synonyms
1. rejoinder. See answer.
Examples from the web for response
  • Urban farming is a response to a variety of pressures.
  • The newest microscope techniques reveal neurons changing shape in response to experience-potentially recording a memory.
  • They were trying to identify short film clips that could reliably elicit a strong emotional response in laboratory settings.
  • His distraught family pricked the limp body of their firstborn with needles to try to stimulate a response.
  • In response to the furor, artists began to avoid forbidden images or conceal them under dotting, stippling and cross-hatches.
  • Whenever someone made a sound in response, the robot's camera snapped a picture.
  • Political call and response become simultaneous, which implies an end of dialogue.
  • Today's digital typography, she says, is a response to the fallacy of objective design.
  • With a question that could never be answered definitively, that seems as good a response as any.
  • The response of the state government, which is in charge of security, was largely ineffective.
British Dictionary definitions for response

response

/rɪˈspɒns/
noun
1.
the act of responding; reply or reaction
2.
(bridge) a bid replying to a partner's bid or double
3.
(usually pl) (Christianity) a short sentence or phrase recited or sung by the choir or congregation in reply to the officiant at a church service
4.
(electronics) the ratio of the output to the input level, at a particular frequency, of a transmission line or electrical device
5.
any pattern of glandular, muscular, or electrical reactions that arises from stimulation of the nervous system
Derived Forms
responseless, adjective
Word Origin
C14: from Latin rēsponsum answer, from rēspondēre to respond
Word Origin and History for response
n.

c.1300, from Old French respons (Modern French réponse) and directly from Latin responsum "an answer," noun use of neuter past participle of respondere "to respond" (see respond).

response in Medicine

response re·sponse (rĭ-spŏns')
n.
A reaction, as that of an organism or any of its parts, to a specific stimulus.

response in Science
response
  (rĭ-spŏns')   
A reaction, as that of an organism or any of its parts, to a specific stimulus. See more at classical conditioning.