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^(key): /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 m (in3ikaas)
• Catalan: reflexió f
• Chinese:

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

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

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

  Roman: odbles m, odsjaj m, odblesak m, odraz m

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

property of a propagated wave

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

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

something that is reflected

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

• Polish: odbicie (pl) n
• Portuguese: reflexo (pt) m
• Russian: отраже́ние (ru) n (otražénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: faileas m, sgàile f
• Spanish: reflejo (es) m
• Turkish: yansıma (tr)
• Welsh: adlewyrchiad m

careful thought or consideration

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

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

an implied criticism

computing: 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: (meanings 1, 2 and 3) reflet (fr), (meaning 4) réflexion (fr)

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

See also

• refraction
• diffraction