Reflections

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈflɛkʃənz/

Definitions

1. The visible images or thoughts that bounce off surfaces or arise from contemplation
2. Images produced by light bouncing off a surface, visible as copies of objects ; mental activity involving serious thought or meditation
3. Visual duplicates seen on shiny surfaces such as mirrors or water ; deep thinking or pondering about matters

Etymology: The plural "reflections" is the form of "reflection", which in English first meant the bending back of light or the image it throws, a sense that came into the language from Middle French and, before that, Late Latin "reflexio". The Latin word grew from "reflectere", "to bend back", built from "re-" (back) and "flectere" (to bend), so the original image is literally a ray turned around on its path. English kept that physical sense for a long time, and the abstract meanings followed later. A reflection could be a thought turned back on oneself, or a remark that bends back on its speaker, which is how we get the sense of a quiet, considered thought today. The spelling was later nudged toward "reflect", the verb it grew from, so the form we see now looks more like the verb than the Latin it came from.

Synonyms: thoughts, considerations