reflection

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Related to reflection: Reflection of light

re·flec·tion

(rĭ-flĕk′shən)

1. The act of reflecting or the state of being reflected.

2. Something, such as light, radiant heat, sound, or an image, that is reflected.

a. Serious thinking or careful consideration: engaged in reflection on the problem.

b. A thought or an opinion resulting from such thinking or consideration: wrote down her reflections.

4. An indirect expression of censure or discredit: a reflection on his integrity.

5. A manifestation or result: Her achievements are a reflection of her courage.

6. Anatomy

a. The folding of a membrane from the wall of a cavity over an organ and back to the wall.

b. The folds so made.

re·flec′tion·al adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

reflection

(rɪˈflɛkʃən) or less commonly

reflexion

1. the act of reflecting or the state of being reflected

2. something reflected or the image so produced, as by a mirror

3. careful or long consideration or thought

4. implicit or explicit attribution of discredit or blame

5. (Mathematics) maths a transformation in which the direction of one axis is reversed or which changes the sign of one of the variables

6. (Anatomy) anatomy the bending back of a structure or part upon itself

reˈflectional, reˈflexional adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

re•flec•tion

(rɪˈflɛk ʃən)

n.

1. the act of reflecting or the state of being reflected.

2. the return of light, heat, or sound after striking a surface.

3. something reflected, as an image.

4. a fixing of the thoughts on something; careful consideration.

5. a thought occurring in consideration or meditation.

6. an unfavorable remark or observation.

7. the casting of some imputation or reproach.

Also, esp. Brit., reflexion.

[1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin reflexiō bending back = Latin reflect(ere) (see reflect) + -tiō -tion]

re•flec′tion•al, adj.

re·flec·tion

(rĭ-flĕk′shən)

1. The turning back of a wave, such as a light or sound wave, when it encounters a boundary. Reflected waves return immediately to their original medium instead of entering the medium they encounter. ♦ According to the law of reflection, the angle of reflection of a reflected wave is equal to its angle of incidence. See more at wave. Compare refraction.

2. Something, such as sound, light, or heat, that is reflected.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

reflection

epiphonema - An exclamatory sentence or reflection summing up a discourse.
rainbow - Comes from Old Norse regnbogi (becoming Old English renboga, ren, "rain," and boga, "bend, bow") and is a bow or arch of the colors of the prism that is formed in the sky opposite to the sun by the reflection, double refraction, and dispersion of the sun's rays in falling drops of rain.
sheet lightning - Appears as a broad sheetlike illumination of parts of a thundercloud, caused by the reflection of a lightning flash.

reflection

Energy diverted back from the interface of two media. The reflection may be specular (i.e. direct) or diffuse according to the nature of the contact surfaces.

Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms. US Department of Defense 2005.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun	1.	reflection - a calm, lengthy, intent consideration musing, rumination, thoughtfulness, contemplation, reflexion cogitation, study - attentive consideration and meditation; "after much cogitation he rejected the offer" consideration - the process of giving careful thought to something meditation, speculation - continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature; "the habit of meditation is the basis for all real knowledge" meditation - (religion) contemplation of spiritual matters (usually on religious or philosophical subjects) introspection, self-contemplation, self-examination - the contemplation of your own thoughts and desires and conduct retrospect - contemplation of things past; "in retrospect"
	2.	reflection - the phenomenon of a propagating wave (light or sound) being thrown back from a surface reflexion physical phenomenon - a natural phenomenon involving the physical properties of matter and energy flare - am unwanted reflection in an optical system (or the fogging of an image that is caused by such a reflection) interreflection - reciprocal reflection between two reflecting surfaces; "there was interreflection between the two surfaces of the lens" virtual image - a reflected optical image (as seen in a plane mirror) zodiacal light - a luminous tract in the sky; a reflection of sunlight from cosmic dust in the plane of the ecliptic; visible just before sunrise and just after sunset
	3.	reflection - expression without words; "tears are an expression of grief"; "the pulse is a reflection of the heart's condition" expression, reflexion, manifestation lamentation, mourning - the passionate and demonstrative activity of expressing grief demo, demonstration - a visual presentation showing how something works; "the lecture was accompanied by dramatic demonstrations"; "the lecturer shot off a pistol as a demonstration of the startle response" act - a manifestation of insincerity; "he put on quite an act for her benefit" ebullition, effusion, outburst, blowup, gush - an unrestrained expression of emotion
	4.	reflection - a likeness in which left and right are reversed mirror image, reflexion alikeness, likeness, similitude - similarity in appearance or character or nature between persons or things; "man created God in his own likeness"
	5.	reflection - the image of something as reflected by a mirror (or other reflective material); "he studied his reflection in the mirror" reflexion ikon, picture, icon, image - a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface; "they showed us the pictures of their wedding"; "a movie is a series of images projected so rapidly that the eye integrates them"
	6.	reflection - (mathematics) a transformation in which the direction of one axis is reversed math, mathematics, maths - a science (or group of related sciences) dealing with the logic of quantity and shape and arrangement transformation - (mathematics) a function that changes the position or direction of the axes of a coordinate system
	7.	reflection - a remark expressing careful consideration observation, reflexion comment, remark, input - a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information; "from time to time she contributed a personal comment on his account"
	8.	reflection - the ability to reflect beams or rays reflectivity, reflexion physical property - any property used to characterize matter and energy and their interactions echo, reverberation, sound reflection, replication - the repetition of a sound resulting from reflection of the sound waves; "she could hear echoes of her own footsteps" echo - a reflected television or radio or radar beam

reflection

noun

1. image, echo, counterpart, likeness, mirror image Meg stared at her reflection in the mirror.

2. sending back, mirroring, throwing back, casting back the reflection of a beam of light off a mirror

3. indication, evidence, display, demonstration, proof, manifestation, attestation a reflection of a person's experiences as a child

4. criticism, censure, slur, reproach, imputation, derogation, aspersion Infection with head lice is no reflection on personal hygiene.

5. consideration, thinking, pondering, deliberation, thought, idea, view, study, opinion, impression, observation, musing, meditation, contemplation, rumination, perusal, cogitation, cerebration After days of reflection she decided to write back.

plural noun

1. thoughts, feeling, idea, view, opinion, belief, impression, viewpoint a series of reflections on death

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

reflection

noun

1. Something that is reflected:

image.

2. Imitative reproduction, as of the style of another:

echo, imitation, reflex, repetition.

3. The act or process of thinking:

brainwork, cerebration, cogitation, contemplation, deliberation, excogitation, meditation, rumination, speculation, thought.

4. An implied criticism:

reproach, slur.

Translations

انعكاس

odrazúvahareflexe

overvejelserefleksionspejlbilledespejling

Besinnung Spiegelung Widerspiegelung

αντανάκλαση αντικατοπτρισμός είδωλο καθρέφτισμα ανάκλαση

reflexión reflejo

heijastus

réflexion reflet réfléchissement

odraz

visszaverõdés

íhugun, vangaveltur; spegilmynd

riflessione riflesso biasimo immagine riflessa

反射

반사

weerkaatsing weerspiegeling

odbojodsev

fundering

การสะท้อนกลับ

yansımadüşünmegörüntü

sự phản chiếu

影像

reflection

[rɪˈflekʃən] N

1. [of light] (= act) → reflexión f; (= image) → reflejo m
the reflection of the light in the mirror → el reflejo de la luz en el espejo
a pale reflection of former glories → un ligero reflejo de glorias pasadas
to see one's reflection in a shop window → verse reflejado en un escaparate

2. (= thought) → meditación f, reflexión f
on reflection → pensándolo bien
without due reflection → sin pensarlo lo suficiente
mature reflection suggests that → una meditación más profunda indica que ...

3. (= aspersion, doubt) → tacha f, descrédito m
this is no reflection on your work → esto no significa crítica alguna a su trabajo
this is no reflection on your honesty → esto no dice nada en contra de su honradez, esto no es ningún reproche a su honradez
to cast reflections on sb → reprochar a algn

4. (= idea) → pensamiento m, idea f
"Reflections on Ortega" → "Meditaciones sobre Ortega"

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

reflection

[rɪˈflɛkʃ^ən]

(= thought) → réflexion f
on reflection → réflexion faite

(= image) (in mirror) → reflet m

[reality, situation, attitude] → reflet m

[heat, light] → réflexion f

(= criticism) to be a reflection on
It's no reflection on your ability as a mother → Ceci ne remet pas en cause vos compétences de mère.
to be a sad reflection on sb/sth → donner une image pitoyable de qn/qch

reflections npl (= thoughts) → pensées fpl
sb's reflections on sth → les pensées de qn sur qch

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

reflection

no pl (= reflecting) → Reflexion f; (by surface of lake, mirror) → Spiegelung f; (fig) → Widerspiegelung f

(= image) → Spiegelbild nt, → Reflexion f; (fig) → Widerspiegelung f; to see one’s reflection in a mirror → sich im Spiegel sehen; a pale reflection of … → ein matter Abglanz … (gen)

no pl (= consideration) → Überlegung f; (= contemplation) → Reflexion f, → Betrachtung f; (up)on reflection → wenn ich mir das recht überlege; on further reflection → bei genauerer Überlegung

(= thoughts, comments) reflections on language → Reflexionen pl → or Betrachtungen pl → über die Sprache

(= adverse criticism) a reflection on his honour → ein Schatten m → auf seiner Ehre; this is a reflection on your taste → das zeigt, wie wenig Geschmack du hast; this is no reflection on your ability → damit soll gar nichts über Ihr Können gesagt sein

(Anat) → Zurückbiegung f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

reflection

[rɪˈflɛkʃ/ən] n

a. (act) → riflessione f; (in mirror) → riflesso

b. (thought) → riflessione f
on reflection → dopo aver riflettuto, pensandoci sopra

c. (aspersion, doubt) → dubbio
this is no reflection on your honesty → questa non è un'insinuazione sulla tua onestà

d. (Math) → riflessione f

reflect

(rəˈflekt) verb

1. to send back (light, heat etc). The white sand reflected the sun's heat.

2. (of a mirror etc) to give an image of. She was reflected in the mirror/water.

3. to think carefully. Give him a minute to reflect (on what he should do).

reˈflecting adjective

able to reflect (light etc). a reflecting surface.

reflection, reflexion (rəˈflekʃən) noun

She looked at her reflection in the water; After reflection I felt I had made the wrong decision; The book is called `Reflections of a Politician'.

reˈflective (-tiv) adjective

1. thoughtful. a reflective mood.

2. reflecting. Reflective number-plates.

reˈflectively adverb

reˈflector noun

something, especially of glass or metal, that reflects light, heat etc.

reflection

→ انعكاس odraz spejling Widerspiegelung αντανάκλαση reflexión heijastus réflexion odraz riflessione 反射 반사 weerspiegeling refleksjon odbijanie reflexo отражение fundering การสะท้อนกลับ yansıma sự phản chiếu 影像

re·flec·tion

n. reflexión.

1. acomodamiento o vuelta hacia atrás tal como una membrana que después de llegar a la superficie de un órgano se repliega sobre sí misma;

2. rechazo de la luz u otra forma de energía radiante de una superficie;

3. introspección.

References in classic literature ?

"It must indeed be a most gratefull reflection, to your exalted minds." (said he.)

View in context

I exercise myself in reflection, and consequently with me every primary cause at once draws after itself another still more primary, and so on to infinity.

View in context

PRAISE is the reflection of virtue; but it is as the glass or body, which giveth the reflection.

View in context

She, who had seen her week after week so constantly suffering, oppressed by anguish of heart which she had neither courage to speak of, nor fortitude to conceal, now saw with a joy, which no other could equally share, an apparent composure of mind, which, in being the result as she trusted of serious reflection, must eventually lead her to contentment and cheerfulness.

View in context

Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

View in context

On the one side reflection shows that the expression of a man's will- his words- are only part of the general activity expressed in an event, as for instance in a war or a revolution, and so without assuming an incomprehensible, supernatural force- a miracle- one cannot admit that words can be the immediate cause of the movements of millions of men.

View in context

He mixed himself a second glass of toddy, as an aid to reflection, and sat sipping the liquor, and twisting and turning the letter in his gouty fingers.

View in context

The boy congratulated himself on his good looks; the girl grew angry, and could not bear the self-praises of her Brother, interpreting all he said (and how could she do otherwise?) into reflection on herself.

View in context

He crept to it to revive himself, lifted the upper part of his body on his trembling arms, thrust forward his head and saw the reflection of his face, as in a mirror.

View in context

Another reflection was of great use to me, and doubtless would be so to any one that should fall into such distress as mine was; and this was, to compare my present condition with what I at first expected it would be; nay, with what it would certainly have been, if the good providence of God had not wonderfully ordered the ship to be cast up nearer to the shore, where I not only could come at her, but could bring what I got out of her to the shore, for my relief and comfort; without which, I had wanted for tools to work, weapons for defence, and gunpowder and shot for getting my food.

View in context

Men, being accustomed to act on reflection themselves, are a great deal too apt to believe that women act on reflection, too.

View in context

If this reflection be just, there is less danger of resistance from irregular combinations of individuals to the authority of the Confederacy than to that of a single member.