I. ri-ˈflek-siv 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
• re·flex·ive·ly adverb
• re·flex·ive·ness noun
• re·flex·iv·i·ty ˌrē-ˌflek-ˈsi-və-tē, ri- noun
II. noun
Date: 1866
: reflexive pronoun