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reflection

Syllabification: (re·flec·tion)
Pronunciation: /riˈflekSHən/
Translate reflection | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of reflection

noun

  • 1the throwing back by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound without absorbing it:the reflection of light
  • an amount of light, heat, or sound that is reflected by a body or surface:the reflections from the streetlights gave us just enough light
  • an image seen in a mirror or shiny surface:Marianne surveyed her reflection in the mirror
  • a thing that is a consequence of or arises from something else:a healthy skin is a reflection of good health in general
  • [in singular] a thing bringing discredit to someone or something:it was a sad reflection on society that because of his affliction he was picked on
  • Mathematics the conceptual operation of inverting a system or event with respect to a plane, each element being transferred perpendicularly through the plane to a point the same distance the other side of it.
  • 2serious thought or consideration:he doesn’t get much time for reflection
  • an idea about something, especially one that is written down or expressed:reflections on human destiny and art

Origin:

late Middle English: from Old French reflexion or late Latin reflexio(n-), from Latin reflex- 'bent back', from the verb reflectere

reflection in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of reflection in the British & World English dictionary