reflex

• POS: Adjective, Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: re=flex

CIDE DICTIONARY

reflex, a. [L. reflexus, p. p. of reflectere: cf. F. réflexe. See Reflect.].

•  Directed back; attended by reflection; retroactive; introspective.  [1913 Webster]

  "The reflex act of the soul, or the turning of the intellectual eye inward upon its own actions."  [1913 Webster]
•  Produced in reaction, in resistance, or in return.  [1913 Webster]
•  Of, pertaining to, or produced by, stimulus or excitation without the necessary intervention of consciousness.  [1913 Webster]

Reflex action (Physiol.), any action performed involuntarily in consequence of an impulse or impression transmitted along afferent nerves to a nerve center, from which it is reflected to an efferent nerve, and so calls into action certain muscles, organs, or cells. -- Reflex nerve (Physiol.), an excito-motory nerve. See Exito-motory.

reflex, n. [L. reflexus a bending back. See Reflect.].

•  Reflection; the light reflected from an illuminated surface to one in shade.  [1913 Webster]

  "Yon gray is not the morning's eye,
  'Tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia's brow."  [1913 Webster]

  "On the depths of death there swims
  The reflex of a human face."  [1913 Webster]
•  An involuntary movement produced by reflex action.  [1913 Webster]

Patellar reflex. See Knee jerk, under Knee.

reflex, v. t. [L. reflexus, p. p. of reflectere. See Reflect.].

•  To reflect.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
•  To bend back; to turn back.  J. Gregory.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

reflex, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 (of an action) independent of the will, as an automatic response to the stimulation of a nerve (e.g. a sneeze).
2 (of an angle) exceeding 180°.
3 bent backwards.
4 (of light) reflected.
5 (of a thought etc.) introspective; directed back upon itself or its own operations.
6 (of an effect or influence) reactive; coming back upon its author or source.
--n.
1 a reflex action.
2 a sign or secondary manifestation (law is a reflex of public opinion).
3 reflected light or a reflected image.
4 a word formed by development from an earlier stage of a language.

Idiom

reflex arc Anat. the sequence of nerves involved in a reflex action. reflex camera a camera with a ground-glass focusing screen on which the image is formed by a combination of lens and mirror, enabling the scene to be correctly composed and focused.

Derivative

reflexly adv.

Etymology

L reflexus (as REFLECT)

THESAURUS

reflex

Pavlovian conditioning, action and reaction, adumbration, answer, antiphonal, arch, automatic, automatic reaction, automatic response, autonomic reaction, back, backlash, backward, backwash, behavior, bend, bend back, blind, blind impulse, bounceback, bow, brain wave, brainstorm, casual, clout, compulsive, conditioned, conditioned response, conditioning, counter, crook, curl, curve, decurve, deflect, dome, drive, echo, embow, fancy, flash, fleeting impulse, flex, force, forced, gut, gut response, hook, hump, hunch, ill-advised, ill-considered, ill-devised, impact, impress, impression, imprint, impulse, impulsive, inadvertent, incurvate, incurve, indeliberate, inflect, inspiration, instinct, instinctive, instrumental conditioning, involuntary, involuntary impulse, loop, mark, mechanical, natural impulse, negative reinforcement, notion, operant conditioning, outline, positive reinforcement, predictable response, print, psychagogy, quick hunch, reacting, reaction, reactionary, reactive, recoil, recurve, reeducation, reflect, reflection, reflex action, reflexive, refluence, refluent, reflux, reinforcement, reorientation, repercussion, reply, respondence, respondent, responding, response, responsive, retroaction, retroactionary, retroactive, retroflex, return, reverberation, reversed, revulsion, revulsive, rise, round, sag, shadow, silhouette, snap, spontaneous, sudden thought, swag, sweep, turn, turned around, unadvised, uncalculated, unconditioned reflex, unconscious, unconsidered, undeliberate, undeliberated, undesigned, unintended, unintentional, unmeditated, unpremeditated, unstudied, unthinking, unthinking response, unwilled, unwilling, unwitting, urge, vault, wind, wrong-way, wrong-way around

ROGET THESAURUS

reflex

Copy

N copy, facsimile, counterpart, effigies, effigy, form, likeness, image, picture, photo, xerox, similitude, semblance, ectype, photo offset, electrotype, imitation, model, representation, adumbration, study, portrait, resemblance, duplicate, reproduction, cast, tracing, reflex, reflexion, reflection, shadow, echo, transcript, transcription, recording, scan, chip off the old block, reprint, new printing, rechauffe, apograph, fair copy, parody, caricature, burlesque, travesty, travestie, paraphrase, derivative, derivation, modification, expansion, extension, revision, second edition, servile copy, servile imitation, plagiarism, counterfeit, fake, pasticcio, faithful, lifelike, close, conscientious, unoriginal, imitative, derivative.

Recoil

N recoil, reaction, retroaction, revulsion, bounce, rebound, ricochet, repercussion, recalcitration, kick, contrecoup, springing back, elasticity, reflection, reflexion, reflex, reflux, reverberation, rebuff, repulse, return, ducks and drakes, boomerang, spring, reactionist, elastic collision, coefficient of restitution, recoiling, refluent, repercussive, recalcitrant, reactionary, retroactive, on the rebound, on the recoil, for every action there is a reaction, equal in force and opposite in direction.

Regression

N regress, regression, retrocession, retrogression, retrograduation, retroaction, reculade, retreat, withdrawal, retirement, remigration, recession, recess, crab-like motion, refluence, reflux, backwater, regurgitation, ebb, return, resilience reflection, reflexion (recoil), flip-flop, volte-face, counter motion, retrograde motion, backward movement, motion in reverse, counter movement, counter march, veering, tergiversation, recidivation, backsliding, fall, deterioration, recidivism, recidivity, reversal, relapse, turning point, receding, retrograde, retrogressive, regressive, refluent, reflex, recidivous, resilient, crab-like, balky, reactionary, back, backwards, reflexively, to the right about, a reculons, a rebours, revenons a nos moutons, as you were.