Etymology Explorer › Middle French

Where does “reflexion” come from?

reflexion (Middle French) comes from Late Latin reflexio, from Latin reflectere, from Latin reflecto, from Latin re-, from Proto-Indo-European wret-, from Proto-Indo-European wert-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

Ancestry of “reflexion”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Late Latinreflexioturning away or back; reflection
2Latinreflecteresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
3LatinreflectoI turn back or away; I reflect
4Latinre-back, backwards; again; prefix added to various...
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwret-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwert-to turn, to rotate
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “reflexion”

  • reflection
  • antireflection
  • interreflection
  • reflectional
  • reflectionless
  • retroreflection
  • irreflection
  • metareflection
  • multireflection
  • reflectionally
  • reflectionlessness
  • superreflection
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →