Adjacent Words

Reflection definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

REFLEC'TION, n. [from reflect.]
1. The act of throwing back; as the reflection of light or colors. The angle of incidence and the angle of reflection are always equal.
2. The act of bending back.
3. That which is reflected.
As the sun in water we can bear, yet not the sun, but his reflection there.
4. The operation of the mind by which it turns its views back upon itself and its operations; the review or consideration of past thoughts, opinions or decisions of the mind, or of past events.
5. Thought thrown back on itself, on the past or on the absent; as melancholy reflections; delightful reflections.
Job's reflections on his once flourishing estate, at the same time afflicted and encouraged him.
6. The expression of thought.
7. Attentive consideration; meditation; contemplation.
This delight grows and improves under thought and reflection.
8. Censure; reproach cast.
He died, and oh! may no reflection shed its pois'nous venom on the royal dead.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a calm, lengthy, intent consideration [syn: contemplation, reflection, reflexion, rumination, musing, thoughtfulness]
2: the phenomenon of a propagating wave (light or sound) being thrown back from a surface [syn: reflection, reflexion]
3: expression without words; "tears are an expression of grief"; "the pulse is a reflection of the heart's condition" [syn: expression, manifestation, reflection, reflexion]
4: a likeness in which left and right are reversed [syn: mirror image, reflection, reflexion]
5: the image of something as reflected by a mirror (or other reflective material); "he studied his reflection in the mirror" [syn: reflection, reflexion]
6: (mathematics) a transformation in which the direction of one axis is reversed
7: a remark expressing careful consideration [syn: observation, reflection, reflexion]
8: the ability to reflect beams or rays [syn: reflection, reflexion, reflectivity]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, alteration of reflexion, from Late Latin reflexion-, reflexio act of bending back, from Latin reflectere Date: 14th century 1. an instance of reflecting; especially the return of light or sound waves from a surface 2. the production of an image by or as if by a mirror 3. a. the action of bending or folding back b. a reflected part ; fold 4. something produced by reflecting: as a. an image given back by a reflecting surface b. an effect produced by an influence <the high crime rate is a reflection of our violent society> 5. an often obscure or indirect criticism ; reproach <a reflection on his character> 6. a thought, idea, or opinion formed or a remark made as a result of meditation 7. consideration of some subject matter, idea, or purpose 8. obsolete turning back ; return 9. a. a transformation of a figure in which each point is replaced by a point symmetric with respect to a line or plane b. a transformation that involves reflection in more than one axis of a rectangular coordinate system • reflectional adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (also reflexion) 1 the act or an instance of reflecting; the process of being reflected. 2 a reflected light, heat, or colour. b a reflected image. 3 reconsideration (on reflection). 4 (often foll. by on) discredit or a thing bringing discredit. 5 (often foll. by on, upon) an idea arising in the mind; a comment or apophthegm. Phrases and idioms: angle of reflection Physics the angle made by a reflected ray with a perpendicular to the reflecting surface. Derivatives: reflectional adj. Etymology: ME f. OF reflexion or LL reflexio (as REFLECT), with assim. to reflect

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Plane Plane, n. [F. plane, L. plana. See Plane, v. & a.] 1. (Geom.) A surface, real or imaginary, in which, if any two points are taken, the straight line which joins them lies wholly in that surface; or a surface, any section of which by a like surface is a straight line; a surface without curvature. 2. (Astron.) An ideal surface, conceived as coinciding with, or containing, some designated astronomical line, circle, or other curve; as, the plane of an orbit; the plane of the ecliptic, or of the equator. 3. (Mech.) A block or plate having a perfectly flat surface, used as a standard of flatness; a surface plate. 4. (Joinery) A tool for smoothing boards or other surfaces of wood, for forming moldings, etc. It consists of a smooth-soled stock, usually of wood, from the under side or face of which projects slightly the steel cutting edge of a chisel, called the iron, which inclines backward, with an apperture in front for the escape of shavings; as, the jack plane; the smoothing plane; the molding plane, etc. Objective plane (Surv.), the horizontal plane upon which the object which is to be delineated, or whose place is to be determined, is supposed to stand. Perspective plane. See Perspective. Plane at infinity (Geom.), a plane in which points infinitely distant are conceived as situated. Plane iron, the cutting chisel of a joiner's plane. Plane of polarization. (Opt.) See Polarization. Plane of projection. (a) The plane on which the projection is made, corresponding to the perspective plane in perspective; -- called also principal plane. (b) (Descriptive Geom.) One of the planes to which points are referred for the purpose of determining their relative position in space. Plane of refraction or reflection (Opt.), the plane in which lie both the incident ray and the refracted or reflected ray.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Reflection Re*flec"tion (r?*fl?k"sh?n), n. [L. reflexio: cf. F. r['e]flexion. See Riflect.] [Written also reflexion.] 1. The act of reflecting, or turning or sending back, or the state of being reflected. Specifically: (a) The return of rays, beams, sound, or the like, from a surface. See Angle of reflection, below. The eye sees not itself, But by reflection, by some other things. --Shak. (b) The reverting of the mind to that which has already occupied it; continued consideration; meditation; contemplation; hence, also, that operation or power of the mind by which it is conscious of its own acts or states; the capacity for judging rationally, especially in view of a moral rule or standard. By reflection, . . . I would be understood to mean, that notice which the mind takes of its own operations, and the manner of them, by reason whereof there come to be ideas of these operations in the understanding. --Locke. This delight grows and improves under thought and reflection. --South. 2. Shining; brightness, as of the sun. [Obs.] --Shak. 3. That which is produced by reflection. Specifically: (a) An image given back from a reflecting surface; a reflected counterpart. As the sun water we can bear, Yet not the sun, but his reflection, there. --Dryden. (b) A part reflected, or turned back, at an angle; as, the reflection of a membrane. (c) Result of meditation; thought or opinion after attentive consideration or contemplation; especially, thoughts suggested by truth. Job's reflections on his once flourishing estate did at the same time afflict and encourage him. --Atterbury. 4. Censure; reproach cast. He died; and oh! may no reflection shed Its poisonous venom on the royal dead. --Prior. 5. (Physiol.) The transference of an excitement from one nerve fiber to another by means of the nerve cells, as in reflex action. See Reflex action, under Reflex. Angle of reflection, the angle which anything, as a ray of light, on leaving a reflecting surface, makes with the perpendicular to the surface. Angle of total reflection. (Opt.) Same as Critical angle, under Critical. Syn: Meditation; contemplation; rumination; cogitation; consideration; musing; thinking.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Angle An"gle ([a^][ng]"g'l), n. [F. angle, L. angulus angle, corner; akin to uncus hook, Gr. 'agky`los bent, crooked, angular, 'a`gkos a bend or hollow, AS. angel hook, fish-hook, G. angel, and F. anchor.] 1. The inclosed space near the point where two lines meet; a corner; a nook. Into the utmost angle of the world. --Spenser. To search the tenderest angles of the heart. --Milton. 2. (Geom.) (a) The figure made by. two lines which meet. (b) The difference of direction of two lines. In the lines meet, the point of meeting is the vertex of the angle. 3. A projecting or sharp corner; an angular fragment. Though but an angle reached him of the stone. --Dryden. 4. (Astrol.) A name given to four of the twelve astrological ``houses.'' [Obs.] --Chaucer. 5. [AS. angel.] A fishhook; tackle for catching fish, consisting of a line, hook, and bait, with or without a rod. Give me mine angle: we 'll to the river there. --Shak. A fisher next his trembling angle bears. --Pope. Acute angle, one less than a right angle, or less than 90[deg]. Adjacent or Contiguous angles, such as have one leg common to both angles. Alternate angles. See Alternate. Angle bar. (a) (Carp.) An upright bar at the angle where two faces of a polygonal or bay window meet. --Knight. (b) (Mach.) Same as Angle iron. Angle bead (Arch.), a bead worked on or fixed to the angle of any architectural work, esp. for protecting an angle of a wall. Angle brace, Angle tie (Carp.), a brace across an interior angle of a wooden frame, forming the hypothenuse and securing the two side pieces together. --Knight. Angle iron (Mach.), a rolled bar or plate of iron having one or more angles, used for forming the corners, or connecting or sustaining the sides of an iron structure to which it is riveted. Angle leaf (Arch.), a detail in the form of a leaf, more or less conventionalized, used to decorate and sometimes to strengthen an angle. Angle meter, an instrument for measuring angles, esp. for ascertaining the dip of strata. Angle shaft (Arch.), an enriched angle bead, often having a capital or base, or both. Curvilineal angle, one formed by two curved lines. External angles, angles formed by the sides of any right-lined figure, when the sides are produced or lengthened. Facial angle. See under Facial. Internal angles, those which are within any right-lined figure. Mixtilineal angle, one formed by a right line with a curved line. Oblique angle, one acute or obtuse, in opposition to a right angle. Obtuse angle, one greater than a right angle, or more than 90[deg]. Optic angle. See under Optic. Rectilineal or Right-lined angle, one formed by two right lines. Right angle, one formed by a right line falling on another perpendicularly, or an angle of 90[deg] (measured by a quarter circle). Solid angle, the figure formed by the meeting of three or more plane angles at one point. Spherical angle, one made by the meeting of two arcs of great circles, which mutually cut one another on the surface of a globe or sphere. Visual angle, the angle formed by two rays of light, or two straight lines drawn from the extreme points of an object to the center of the eye. For Angles of commutation, draught, incidence, reflection, refraction, position, repose, fraction, see Commutation, Draught, Incidence, Reflection, Refraction, etc.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(reflections) 1. A reflection is an image that you can see in a mirror or in glass or water. Meg stared at her reflection in the bedroom mirror. N-COUNT 2. Reflection is the process by which light and heat are sent back from a surface and do not pass through it. ...the reflection of a beam of light off a mirror. 3. If you say that something is a reflection of a particular person's attitude or of a situation, you mean that it is caused by that attitude or situation and therefore reveals something about it. Inhibition in adulthood seems to be very clearly a reflection of a person's experiences as a child. N-COUNT: usu N of n 4. If something is a reflection or a sad reflection on a person or thing, it gives a bad impression of them. Infection with head lice is no reflection on personal hygiene... The library is unique and its break-up would be a sad reflection on the value we place on our heritage. N-SING: usu N on n 5. Reflection is careful thought about a particular subject. Your reflections are your thoughts about a particular subject. After days of reflection she decided to write back... N-UNCOUNT: also N in pl • If someone admits or accepts something on reflection, they admit or accept it after having thought carefully about it. On reflection, he says, he very much regrets the comments. PHRASE

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Reflecting. 2. Reflected image. 3. Thought, meditation, cogitation, deliberation, contemplation, rumination, consideration, musing, thinking. 4. Thought, opinion, result of reflection. 5. Censure, reproach.

Moby Thesaurus

CRT spot, DM display, Doppler signal, IF signal, IM display, Parthian shot, RF echoes, S-curve, action and reaction, address, adumbration, adverse criticism, advisement, affirmation, albedo, allegation, animadversion, answer, apostrophe, apprehension, aspersion, assault, assertion, attack, attaint, automatic reaction, autonomic reaction, averment, bad notices, bad press, badge of infamy, bar sinister, baton, beam, beat signal, bend, bend sinister, bending, black eye, black mark, blink, blips, blot, blur, bounceback, bounces, bow, bowing, brainwork, brand, broad arrow, brooding, captiousness, carping, cavil, caviling, censoriousness, censure, cerebration, champain, circumspection, circumspectness, cogitation, comment, commitment to memory, companion, conceit, concept, conception, conflexure, consideration, contemplation, cool judgment, copy, corroboration, counsel, crack, criticism, dead ringer, declaration, deflection, deliberating, deliberation, depreciation, derogation, dictum, discreetness, discretion, discrimination, disparagement, display, double, double-dot display, duplicate, echo, echo signal, effect, effigy, evidence, exact likeness, exception, exclamation, exercise of memory, expression, fancy, faultfinding, fellow, flak, flashback, flection, flex, flexure, geanticline, geosyncline, good judgment, greeting, hairpin turn, hairsplitting, hindsight, hit, home thrust, hostile criticism, hypercriticalness, hypercriticism, ice sky, iceblink, icon, idea, idol, image, imago, impression, imputation, incident light, inflection, innuendo, insinuation, intellectual object, interjection, judgment, judiciousness, knock, learning by heart, likeness, living image, living picture, local oscillator signal, looking back, lucubration, mark, mark of Cain, match, mate, meander, meditating, meditation, memoir, memorization, memorizing, memory-trace, mental image, mental impression, mention, miniature, mirroring, model, musing, nagging, niggle, niggling, nit, nit-picking, note, notion, obloquy, observation, onset, onslaught, onus, opinion, outline, output signal, overcriticalness, oxbow, perception, personal remark, personality, pestering, pettifogging, photograph, phrase, picture, pillorying, pips, point champain, policy, polity, pondering, portrait, position, predictable response, priggishness, pronouncement, proof, providence, prudence, prudentialism, question, quibble, quibbling, radar signal, rap, reaction, reading, recall, recalling, recept, recollecting, recollection, reconsideration, reflectance, reflectiveness, reflex, reflex action, refluence, reflux, remark, remembering, remembrance, reminiscence, reply, representation, reprimand, reproach, reproachfulness, resemblance, respondence, response, result, retroaction, retrospect, retrospection, return, return signal, reverberation, review, revolving, revulsion, rise, rote, rote memory, rubbing, rumination, say, saying, semblance, sentence, sentiment, shadow, sign, signal, signal display, silhouette, similitude, simulacrum, slam, slur, sly suggestion, smear, smirch, smudge, smutch, snowblink, sound judgment, soundness of judgment, speculation, spit and image, spitting image, spot, stain, statement, stigma, stigmatism, stigmatization, stricture, study, subjoinder, substantiation, suggestion, supposition, sweep, swipe, symbol, taint, taking exception, target image, tarnish, testament, testimony, theory, thinking, thought, thoughtfulness, token, trace, tracing, transmitter signal, trichoschistism, turn, turning, twin, uncomplimentary remark, unthinking response, utterance, very image, very picture, video signal, water sky, waterblink, weighing, whispering campaign, word