Retrospects

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A review or contemplation of past events and their significance in hindsight
2. An examination of previous experiences or situations to gain insight or understanding
3. The act of looking back on prior events with a focus on their implications or outcomes

Etymology: "Retrospects" is the plural of "retrospect," and the singular is the more interesting half of the story. It was borrowed from Latin "retrospectum," the supine form of "retrospicere," meaning "to look back at." The Latin verb is built from "retro," "backward," and "specere," "to look," the same root that gives English words like "spectator" and "inspect." So the word's core idea is literally a backward glance, a turning of the eyes toward what has already happened. The noun's modern sense of a reflective survey of the past grew out of that physical image of looking back. Its plural form, "retrospects," follows the same pattern, usually signalling several acts of looking back or several such reviews gathered together.

Synonyms: reflections, recollections, memories, considerations, remembrances