different between reflect vs reflection

English

Etymology

From Old French reflecter (“to bend back, turn back”), from Latin reflect? (“I reflect”), from re- (“again”) + flect? (“I bend, I curve”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???fl?kt/
• Rhymes: -?kt

Verb

reflect (third-person singular simple present reflects, present participle reflecting, simple past and past participle reflected)

1. (transitive) To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface.

   A mirror reflects the light that shines on it.

2. (intransitive) To be bent back (light, etc.) from a surface.

   The moonlight reflected from the surface of water.

3. (transitive) To mirror, or show the image of something.

   The shop window reflected his image as he walked past.

4. (intransitive) To be mirrored.

   His image reflected from the shop window as he walked past.

5. (transitive) To agree with; to closely follow.

   Entries in English dictionaries aim to reflect common usage.

6. (transitive) To give evidence of someone's or something's character etc.

   The team's victory reflects the Captain's abilities.

   The teacher's ability reflects well on the school.
8. (intransitive) To think seriously; to ponder or consider.
   • 1985, Justin Richards, Option Lock, page 229:

     Not for the first time, he reflected that it was not so much the speeches that strained the nerves as the palaver that went with them.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:ponder

Derived terms

Translations

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

• IPA^(key): /???fl?k??n/
• Hyphenation: re?flec?tion
• Rhymes: -?k??n

Noun

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.

5. Careful thought or consideration.
6. An implied criticism.

7. (computing) The process or mechanism of determining the capabilities of an object at run-time.
8. (anatomy) The folding of a part; a fold.

Derived terms

Related terms

• reflect
• reflective
• reflector

Translations

See also

• refraction
• diffraction