Where does “reflex” come from?
Reflex comes from Latin reflexus, the past participle of reflectere meaning "to bend back," from re- "back" and a root meaning "to turn" found in Proto-Indo-European wer-.
reflex (English): An automatic response to a simple stimulus which...
Definitions
- An automatic response to a simple stimulus which...
Ancestry of “reflex”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | reflexus | turned back or away, reflected |
| 2 | Latin | reflectō | to turn back or away; yield; retreat |
| 3 | Latin | rĕ- | back, backwards |
| 4 | Latin | prōdūcō | to lead or bring forth, forward or out |
| 5 | Latin | prō- | forward direction, forward movement |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *pro- | pro- see the Latin entry for further meanings |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pro- | toward, forward |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | por- | to give birth; forward, through; going, passage |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |