English
reflection
Reflection comes from Late Latin reflexiō ‘turning away or back’, and goes back to Latin flectō ‘to turn or curl’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEflectō‘to turn or curl’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreflectō‘to turn back or away’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEreflexiō‘turning away or back’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600reflection
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500refleccion
- Englishearliest quotation 1959reflection
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEflectō‘to turn or curl’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEreflectō‘to turn back or away’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEreflexiō‘turning away or back’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600reflection
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500refleccion
- Englishearliest quotation 1959reflection
Earliest quotation: 1959, Georgette Heyer: “But Richmond, his grandfather's darling, after one thoughtful glance…”
The story
The current spelling is influenced by reflect.
Linked words
through Latin flectō ‘to turn or curl’
Today it means
noun The act of reflecting or the state of being reflected.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin flectō / reflection