noun / adjective
reflex
REE-fleks/ˈriːfleks/
An automatic response made without conscious thought.
The clinician's gentle tap triggers a reflex movement of the patient's leg.
Etymology
From “bending back,” reflex first named reflected light or its image. The bodily sense is shortened from “reflex action,” a term for a simple, involuntary action of the nervous system.
In context
The throat is equipped with reflex mechanisms, such as coughing and the gag reflex, to expel foreign objects or irritants that may enter the airway or throat.