reflection
[ ri-flek-shuhn ]
/ rɪˈflɛk ʃən /
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noun
OTHER WORDS FOR reflection
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Also especially British, re·flex·ion .
Origin of reflection
OTHER WORDS FROM reflection
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH reflection
diffraction, diffusion, reflection , rarefaction, refractionDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for reflection
reflection
less commonly reflexion
/ (rɪˈflɛkʃən) /
noun
the act of reflecting or the state of being reflected
something reflected or the image so produced, as by a mirror
careful or long consideration or thought
implicit or explicit attribution of discredit or blame
maths a transformation in which the direction of one axis is reversed or which changes the sign of one of the variables
anatomy the bending back of a structure or part upon itself
Derived forms of reflection
reflectional or reflexional, adjectiveCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for reflection
reflection
[ rĭ-flĕk′shən ]
The change in direction of a wave, such as a light or sound wave, away from a boundary the wave encounters. Reflected waves remain in their original medium rather than entering the medium they encounter.♦ According to the law of reflection, the angle of reflection of a reflected wave is equal to its angle of incidence. Compare refraction. See more at wave.
Something, such as sound, light, or heat, that is reflected.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for reflection
reflection
A bouncing of light off a surface. People see themselves in mirrors through reflection. (Compare refraction.)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.