Retrospectives

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A thoughtful review that reflects on past events and their significance
2. Displays or exhibitions showcasing works from an earlier time ; careful reviews or discussions that look back on previous events
3. Events or shows presenting prior creations or productions ; analyses or reflections on historical occurrences or experiences

Etymology: "Retrospectives" is the plural of "retrospective," which is itself a noun-and-adjective pair that grew out of "retrospect." The Latin root is "retrospectus," the past participle of "retrospicere," meaning "to look back at." Those two Latin parts are "retro," meaning "backward," and "specere," meaning "to look." English took the Latin participle and built "retrospect" from it, then added the suffix "-ive" to form the adjective "retrospective," meaning looking back on the past. The plural noun carries that backward glance into two uses. An art exhibition or film season that gathers an artist's earlier work is a retrospective, because it looks back across a career. Reflective analyses of past events, whether a year's news or a company's history, are retrospectives in the same sense. In both, the word keeps the original image of turning to look over one's shoulder at what has already happened.

Synonyms: reviews, reflections, recollections, retrospects, analyses