— reflexively , adv. — reflexiveness, reflexivity /ree'flek siv"i tee/ , n.
/ri flek"siv/ , adj.
1. Gram.
a. (of a verb) taking a subject and object with identical referents, as shave in I shave myself.
b. (of a pronoun) used as an object to refer to the subject of a verb, as myself in I shave myself.
2. reflex; responsive.
3. able to reflect; reflective.
4. Math.
a. noting a relation in which each element is in relation to itself, as the relation "less than or equal to." Cf. antireflexive .
b. (of a vector space) having the property that the dual space of the dual space of the given vector space equals the given vector space.
n.
5. Gram. a reflexive verb or pronoun.
[ 1580-90; reflexivus turned back, reflected. See REFLEX, -IVE ]