Reflectiveness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The property of returning light or images while also indicating a state of introspection regarding personal experiences and emotions
2. The attribute of bouncing back images or light coupled with the practice of thoughtful examination of one's inner feelings and thoughts
3. The quality of sending back light or images from a surface ; the state of engaging in serious and careful consideration of one's thoughts and feelings

Etymology: Reflectiveness is a simple formation: the noun "reflective" with the suffix "-ness" added, which turns an adjective into the name of a quality. The adjective itself comes from "reflect," which traces back to Latin "reflectere," meaning "to bend back," built from "re-" (back) and "flectere" (to bend). So the original picture is literal: something bent back on itself, as light bends back from a mirror. The adjective "reflective" passed into English through Old French "-if," which descends from Latin "-ivus," a suffix for "having the tendency to" or "relating to." Middle English took up the same pattern, and the modern "-ive" ending settled in over time. "-Ness" is the native English suffix for forming nouns of quality, and it has been attached to adjectives since Old English, so "reflectiveness" simply reads as "the condition of being reflective."

Synonyms: thoughtfulness, contemplation

Antonyms: carelessness