reflexive

reflexive
I. adjective Etymology: Medieval Latin reflexivus, from Latin reflexus Date: 1640 1. a. directed or turned back on itself; also overtly and usually ironically reflecting conventions of genre or form <
a reflexive novel
>
b. marked by or capable of reflection ; reflective 2. of, relating to, characterized by, or being a relation that exists between an entity and itself <
the relation “is equal to” is reflexive but the relation “is the father of” is not
>
3. of, relating to, or constituting an action (as in “he perjured himself”) directed back on the agent or the grammatical subject 4. characterized by habitual and unthinking behavior • reflexively adverbreflexiveness nounreflexivity noun II. noun Date: 1866 reflexive pronoun

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • Reflexive — may refer to:In fiction: MetafictionIn grammar: *Reflexive pronoun, a pronoun with a reflexive relationship with its self identical antecedent *Reflexive verb, where a semantic agent and patient are the sameIn mathematics and computer science:… …   Wikipedia

  • Reflexive — Re*flex ive ( ?v), a. 1. [Cf. F. r[ e]flexif.] Bending or turned backward; reflective; having respect to something past. [1913 Webster] Assurance reflexive can not be a divine faith. Hammond. [1913 Webster] 2. Implying censure. [Obs.] What man… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • reflexive — ► ADJECTIVE 1) Grammar (of a pronoun) referring back to the subject of the clause in which it is used, e.g. myself. 2) Grammar (of a verb or clause) having a reflexive pronoun as its object (e.g. wash oneself). 3) performed without conscious… …   English terms dictionary

  • reflexive — [ri flek′siv] adj. [ML reflexivus] 1. rare var. of:Rare a) REFLEX b) REFLECTIVE 2. having to do with the act or process of reflecting 3. of or having to do with a thematic concern in a work of art, writing, etc., with the creative p …   English World dictionary

  • reflexive — (adj.) 1580s, reflective, capable of bending or turning back, from M.L. reflexivus, from L.L. reflexus (see REFLECT (Cf. reflect)). Meaning of the nature of a reflex is from 1871. Related: Reflexively; reflexivity …   Etymology dictionary

  • reflexive — re|flex|ive [ rı fleksıv ] adjective 1. ) a reflexive verb or pronoun refers back to the subject of the verb. In English, to enjoy yourself is a reflexive verb and yourself is a reflexive pronoun. 2. ) FORMAL a reflexive movement or action is one …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • reflexive — UK [rɪˈfleksɪv] / US adjective 1) linguistics a reflexive verb or pronoun refers back to the subject of the verb. In English, to enjoy yourself is a reflexive verb and yourself is a reflexive pronoun. 2) formal a reflexive movement or action is… …   English dictionary

  • réflexive — ● réflexif, réflexive adjectif (de réflexion) Se dit, en philosophie, de la conscience qui se prend elle même pour objet. ● réflexif, réflexive (expressions) adjectif (de réflexion) Relation réflexive, relation binaire sur un ensemble telle que… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • reflexive — re|flex|ive [rıˈfleksıv] adj technical a reflexive verb or ↑pronoun shows that the action in a sentence affects the person or thing that does the action. In the sentence I enjoyed myself , myself is reflexive >reflexive n >reflexively adv …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • reflexive — [rɪˈfleksɪv] adj linguistics a reflexive verb or pronoun refers back to the subject of the verb. In English, ‘to enjoy yourself is a reflexive verb and ‘yourself is a reflexive pronoun …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

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