reflex
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reflex
- /ˈɹiːflɛks/
- /ɹɪˈflɛks/
Where it comes from
From Late Latin reflexus, past participle of reflectere (“to bend back”), equivalent to re- + flex. Photography sense is from noun sense meaning “reflection”. Compare English reflect.
noun reflexes
- An automatic response to a simple stimulus which does not require mental processing. For a while, I shall have to make a conscious effort to smile, nod, stand and perform the thousands of little gestures which constitute life on Earth, and then those gestures will become reflexes again.
-
The descendant of an earlier language element, such as a word or phoneme, in a daughter language.
Opposite: etymon
- The ancestor word corresponding to a descendant. The Middle Korean reflex for mey was mwoy 뫼
- The descendant of anything from an earlier time, such as a cultural myth. The superstition of the loup-garou, or werewolf, belongs to the folklore of most modern nations, and has its reflex in the story of "Little Red Riding-hood" and others.
- A reflection or an image produced by a reflection; the light reflected from an illuminated surface to one in shade. A reflex camera uses a mirror to reflect the image onto a ground-glass viewfinder.
adjective more reflex · most reflex
- Bent, turned back or reflected. the reflex act of the soul, or the turning of the intellectual eye inward upon its own actions
- Produced automatically by a stimulus. It's easier to focus on the particular relationship or object (as in 'pornography', for example) than on the sexist (racist, ageist, etc.) attitudes that generate the almost reflex violence taught in our schools, churches, legal processes, families, mass entertainment, and advertising propaganda.
-
Having greater than 180 degrees but less than 360 degrees.
A polygon is said to be convex when no one of its angles is reflex.
Similar: re-entrant
- Illuminated by light reflected from another part of the same picture.
verb reflexes · reflexing · reflexed
- To bend back or turn back over itself.
- To reflect (light, sight, etc.).
- To reflect or mirror (an object), to show the image of.
- To cast (beams of light) on something. The ſpring is hindered by your ſmoothering hoſt, For neither rain can fall vpon the earth, Nor Sun reflexe his vertuous beames thereon. The ground is mantled with ſuch multitudes.
- To respond to a stimulus.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: reflexive, automatic, involuntary, physiological reaction, instinct, habit, reaction, formative, response, compensatory, knee-jerk, impulse, gag, glare, reflection, reflective
Translations
Every language
noun automatic response
| Español | reflejo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 반사 bansa |
| 日本語 | 反射 hansha |
| 中文 | 反射 fǎnshè |
| हिन्दी | प्रतिवर्त क्रिया prativart kriyā |
| Português | reflexo |
| Français | réflexe |
| Deutsch | Reflex |
| Italiano | riflesso |
| Ελληνικά | αντανακλαστικό antanaklastikó |
| Русский | рефле́кс refléks |
| Tiếng Việt | phản xạ |
| العربية | مُنْعَكَس munʕakas |
noun the descendant of an earlier language element, such as a word or phoneme, in a daughter language
| Español | reflejo, continuador |
|---|---|
| Français | continuateur |
| Deutsch | Kontinuante, Fortsetzer |
| Italiano | riflesso, continuatore |
adj of a type of camera
| Español | réflex |
|---|
Talk about this word "reflex." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/reflex. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. reflex. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/reflex "reflex." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/reflex.Cite this
@misc{reflex_2026,
title = {reflex},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/reflex},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
