reflex
reflex Lexical Profile
reflex Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An action that is performed without conscious thought as an automatic response to a stimulus.
"The pediatrician gently tapped the child's knee to test his patellar reflex."
A person's ability to respond quickly to sudden physical events or stimuli (usually used in the plural).
"A professional goalkeeper needs lightning-fast reflexes to block penalty kicks."
A reflected light, color, or image; a reflection or reproduction of an older phenomenon.
"A warm golden reflex of the setting sun gleamed across the surface of the lake."
A word, sound, or linguistic form that has developed directly from an earlier ancestor language.
"The Modern English word 'stone' is the regular reflex of Old English 'stan'."
• adjective
Performed without conscious thought as an automatic response to a stimulus.
"Pulling your hand away from a hot stove is a rapid reflex action."
Measuring greater than 180 degrees and less than 360 degrees (of a geometric angle).
"The geometry students learned how to measure a reflex angle using a standard protractor."
Designating a camera in which the image formed by the taking lens is reflected by a mirror onto a viewing screen.
"She preferred shooting portraits with an older twin-lens reflex camera."
• verb
To bend, fold, or turn backward (especially of botanical petals, leaves, or anatomical parts).
"As the lily blossom matures, its outer petals gradually reflex toward the stem."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'reflex' (an involuntary action or response) with 'reflux' (the backward flow of liquid, such as stomach acid).
• Rhymes for reflex
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 14th century from Late Latin reflexus, the past participle of reflectere ('to bend back or turn back'), formed from re- ('back') and flectere ('to bend').