Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To throw or bend back (light or sound, for example) from a surface.
  • intransitive verb To give back or show an image of (an object); mirror.
  • intransitive verb To make apparent; express or manifest.
  • intransitive verb To bring as a consequence.
  • intransitive verb Archaic To bend back.
  • intransitive verb To be bent or thrown back: synonym: echo.
  • intransitive verb To give something back, as light or sound.
  • intransitive verb To give evidence of the characteristics or qualities of someone or something.
  • intransitive verb To bring blame or discredit.
  • intransitive verb To think seriously. synonym: think.
  • intransitive verb To express carefully considered thoughts.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A reflection.
  • To bend back; turn back; cast back; throw back again.
  • Hence, figuratively, to bend the will of; persuade.
  • To cause to return or to throw off after striking or falling on any surface, and in accordance with certain physical laws: as, to reflect light, heat, or sound; incident and reflected rays. See reflection, 2.
  • To give back an image or likeness of; mirror.
  • To bend or turn back; be reflected.
  • To throw back light, heat, sound, etc.; give reflections; return rays or beams; as, a reflecting mirror or gem.
  • To throw or turn back the thoughts upon something; think or consider seriously; revolve matters in the mind, especially in relation to conduct; ponder or meditate.
  • To bring reproach; cast censure or blame: followed by on or upon.
  • To shine.
  • Synonyms To consider, meditate upon, etc. (see list under contemplate), cogitate, ruminate, study.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To throw back light, heat, or the like; to return rays or beams.
  • intransitive verb To be sent back; to rebound as from a surface; to revert; to return.
  • intransitive verb To throw or turn back the thoughts upon anything; to contemplate. Specifically: To attend earnestly to what passes within the mind; to attend to the facts or phenomena of consciousness; to use attention or earnest thought; to meditate; especially, to think in relation to moral truth or rules.
  • intransitive verb To cast reproach; to cause censure or dishonor.
  • transitive verb To bend back; to give a backwa�d turn to; to throw back; especially, to cause to return after striking upon any surface
  • transitive verb To give back an image or likeness of; to mirror.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface.
  • verb intransitive To be bent back (light, etc.) from a surface.
  • verb transitive To mirror, or show the image of something.
  • verb intransitive To be mirrored.
  • verb transitive To agree with; to closely follow.
  • verb transitive To give evidence of someone's or something's character etc.
  • verb intransitive To think seriously; to ponder or consider.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb be bright by reflecting or casting light
  • verb reflect deeply on a subject
  • verb show an image of
  • verb give evidence of the quality of
  • verb to throw or bend back (from a surface)
  • verb manifest or bring back
  • verb give evidence of a certain behavior

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English reflecten, from Old French reflecter, from Latin reflectere, to bend back : re-, re- + flectere, to bend.]

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