Reflecting

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈflɛktɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Bouncing light, heat, or an image back from a surface ; engaging in deep thought or consideration
2. Throwing back rays or an image without absorbing them ; meditating thoughtfully on a topic or experience
3. Sending back light or a likeness seen on a surface ; pondering or carefully reviewing ideas or events

Etymology: Before "reflecting" meant a mirror's bounce or a mind's pondering, it described something physically bending backwards. The root is Latin "flectere," "to bend," which also gave English "flex" and "inflect." Adding "re-," meaning "back" or "again," produced "reflectere," a verb for turning something back on its course. That Latin verb passed through Old French as "reflecter," meaning "to bend back, turn back," and English took the word from there. The bending sense is still visible in the original image: light bends back off a surface, and a thought turns back on itself. The verb is an inflected form, the present participle of "reflect," so the meaning described here comes from that base word's history.

Synonyms: mirroring, casting, throwing back

Antonyms: absorbing, taking in