reflection

English

Alternative forms

• reflexion

Etymology

From Middle French reflexion, reflection, and its source Late Latin reflexio, from the participle stem of reflectere. The current spelling is influenced by reflect.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /ɹɪˈflɛkʃ(ə)n/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ref‧lex‧ion
• Rhymes: -ɛkʃən

Noun

A water reflection - meanings 2 and 3

reflection (plural reflections)

1. The act of reflecting or the state of being reflected.
2. The property of a propagated wave being thrown back from a surface (such as a mirror).
3. Something, such as an image, that is reflected.

   The dog barked at his own reflection in the mirror.

4. Careful thought or consideration.

   After careful reflection, I have decided not to vote for that proposition.

5. An implied criticism.

   It is a reflection on his character that he never wavered in his resolve.

6. (computing) The process or mechanism of determining the capabilities of an object at run-time.

Derived terms

• reflectional
• self-reflection

Related terms

• reflect
• reflective
• reflector

Translations

act of reflecting; the state of being reflected

• Arabic: انعكاس (ar) (in3ikaas) m
• Catalan: reflexió (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 反射 (cmn) (fǎnshè), 反映 (cmn) (fǎnyìng)

• Czech: odraz (cs) m
• Dutch: reflectie (nl) f, weerspiegeling (nl) f, weerbeeld (nl) n
• French: réflexion (fr) f
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Reflexion (de) f, Abbild (de) n
• Greek: αντανάκλαση (el) (antanáklasi) f
• Hebrew: השתקפות (he) ((hishtak'fut)) f
• Italian: riflessione (it)

• Japanese: 反射 (ja) (はんしゃ, hansha)
• Malagasy: fitarafana (mg)
• Polish: odbicie n
• Portuguese: reflexão (pt) f
• Romanian: reflectare (ro) f, reflecție (ro) f, reflexie (ro) f
• Russian: отраже́ние (ru) (otražénije) n
• Scottish Gaelic: faileas (gd) m, sgàile (gd) f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Roman: odbles (sh) m, odsjaj (sh) m, odblesak (sh) m, odraz (sh) m

• Spanish: reflexión (es) f
• Turkish: yansıma (tr)

property of a propagated wave

• Afrikaans: weerkaatsing (af)
• Polish: odbicie n

• Russian: отраже́ние (ru) (otražénije) n
• Turkish: yansıma (tr)

something that is reflected

• Czech: odraz (cs) m
• Esperanto: speguliĝo (eo)
• French: reflet (fr) m
• German: reflexion (de) n
• Italian: riflesso (it), riverbero (it)
• Lojban: ve minra
• Malagasy: fitaratra (mg)

• Maori: whakaata (mi)
• Polish: odbicie (pl) n
• Portuguese: reflexo (pt) m
• Russian: отраже́ние (ru) (otražénije) n
• Scottish Gaelic: faileas (gd) m, sgàile (gd) f
• Turkish: yansıma (tr)
• Welsh: adlewyrchiad (cy) m

careful thought or consideration

• Czech: úvaha (cs) f, reflexe (cs) f
• German: Abwägung (de) f
• Malagasy: fieritreretana (mg)

• Russian: размышление (ru) (razmyšlénije) n
• Scottish Gaelic: smaoin (gd) f
• Welsh: myfyrdod (cy) m

an implied criticism

(computingreflection) Process of determining the capabilities of an object at run-time

• German: Reflexion (de) f

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: reflet (meanings 1, 2 and 3), réflexion (meaning 4)

• Greek: αντανάκλαση (el) (antanáklasi) f (1,2,3), είδωλο (el) (eídolo) n (3), σκέψη (el) (sképsi) f (4)
• Telugu: పరావర్తనము (paraavartanamu)

See also

• refraction
• diffraction