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 (countable and uncountable, 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.

   • 1959, Georgette Heyer, chapter 1, in The Unknown Ajax:

     But Richmond, his grandfather's darling, after one thoughtful glance cast under his lashes at that uncompromising countenance appeared to lose himself in his own reflections.

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

Terms derived from reflection

• no-reflection
• reflectional

• reflectionless

• reflection-like

• self-reflection

Related terms

• reflect
• reflective
• reflector

Translations

act of reflecting; the state of being reflected

• Arabic: اِنْعِكَاس‏‎ (ar) m (inʿikās)
• Armenian: ռեֆլեկցիոնիզմ (ṙeflekcʿionizm)
• Catalan: reflexió (ca) f
• Chinese:

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

• Czech: odraz m
• Dutch: reflectie (nl) f, weerspiegeling (nl) f, weerbeeld n
• Esperanto: reflekto
• French: réflexion (fr) f
• Georgian: ანარეკლი (anareḳli)
• German: Reflexion (de) f, Abbild (de) n, Reflektion (de) f
• Greek: αντανάκλαση (el) f (antanáklasi)
• Hebrew: השתקפות‏‎ f (hishtak'fut)
• Indonesian: pantulan (id)
• Irish: frithchaitheamh m
• Italian: riflessione (it)

• Japanese: 反射 (ja) (はんしゃ, hansha)
• Korean: 반사 (ko) (bansa)
• Malagasy: fitarafana (mg)
• Malay: pemantulan
• Persian: بازتاب‏‎ (fa) (bāztāb), فرتور‏‎ (fartur)
• 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, ȍdsjāj (sh) m, odblesak m, ȍdrāz (sh) m

• Spanish: reflexión (es) f
• Swedish: reflexion (sv)
• Tagalog: sabalik
• Turkish: yansıma (tr)

property of a propagated wave

• Afrikaans: weerkaatsing
• German: Reflektion (de) f
• Indonesian: bayangan (id)
• Maori: whakaatanga

• Polish: odbicie (pl) n
• Russian: отраже́ние (ru) n (otražénije)
• Tagalog: sabalik
• Turkish: yansıma (tr)

something that is reflected

• Catalan: reflex m
• Czech: odraz m
• Esperanto: speguliĝo
• French: reflet (fr) m
• German: Reflektion (de) f
• Indonesian: cerminan (id)
• Irish: scáil f
• Italian: riflesso (it), riverbero (it)
• Japanese: 反映 (ja) (はんえい, han'ei)
• Lojban: ^{(please verify)} ve minra

• Malagasy: fitaratra (mg)
• Malay: pantulan
• 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
• Danish: refleksion (da) c
• Esperanto: konsidero
• German: Abwägung (de) f, Reflektion (de) f
• Indonesian: renungan (id)
• Irish: athmhachnamh m

• Malagasy: fieritreretana (mg)
• Navajo: nabíkʼítsídzíłkees
• Russian: размышле́ние (ru) n (razmyšlénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: smaoin f
• Welsh: myfyrdod m

an implied criticism

• Indonesian: celaan (id)

computing: Process of determining the capabilities of an object at run-time

• German: Reflexion (de) f

• Indonesian: refleksi (id)

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 Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: (meanings 1, 2 and 3) ^{(please verify)} reflet (fr), (meaning 4) ^{(please verify)} réflexion (fr)
• Greek: ^{(please verify)} αντανάκλαση (el) f (antanáklasi) (1,2,3), ^{(please verify)} είδωλο (el) n (eídolo) (3), ^{(please verify)} σκέψη (el) f (sképsi) (4)

• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} పరావర్తనము (te) (parāvartanamu)

See also

• refraction
• diffraction