Reflect
verbTo throw back light, heat, or sound from a surface, or to think carefully about something.
How to spell reflect
7 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce reflect
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does reflect mean?
- verbTo throw back light, heat, or sound from a surface, or to think carefully about something.
Reflect in a sentence
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The calm water can reflect the mountains perfectly.
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A white wall will reflect more light into the room.
Where does reflect come from?
Language of origin: Latin
The word comes from the Latin reflectere, meaning 'to bend back' or 'to turn back', formed from the prefix re- ('back') and flectere ('to bend'). In medieval Latin the verb developed the optical sense of light or heat being thrown back from a surface, and English borrowed it through Old French in the late 1300s. From the literal idea of bending light back came the figurative sense of the mind 'turning back' on its own thoughts, giving us 'reflect' meaning to think carefully. The same flectere root sits inside 'flexible', 'deflect' and 'inflection', all sharing the idea of bending. Because the spelling keeps the Latin 'flect' intact, there is no silent or tricky letter, which is why the word rarely trips up adult writers.
How the word is built
- re- (back)
- flect (from flectere: to bend)
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