reflexive
Meaning
Describing an action that the subject of a sentence performs on or to itself.
Done or happening without conscious thought as an automatic response.
(Grammar) Denoting a pronoun or verb that refers back to the subject of the clause (e.g., 'myself', 'themselves').
(Grammar) A reflexive pronoun or verb.
Structure
Usage
The verb 'to pride' is often used in a reflexive construction, as in "She prides herself on her work."
He gave a reflexive jerk of his hand when he touched the hot surface.
In the sentence "I prepared myself for the exam," the word 'myself' is a reflexive.
Etymology
The word 'reflexive' originates from the Latin verb reflectere, meaning "to bend back". This verb is itself a compound of the prefix re- ("back") and flectere ("to bend"). The concept entered English via Late Latin reflexivus, which described something that turns or bends back upon itself. Over time, this literal sense of physical bending back evolved into the abstract grammatical and psychological meanings, capturing the idea of an action or thought directed back toward its own source. Thus, a 'reflexive' pronoun bends the reference back to the subject, and a 'reflexive' action is a mental bending back to an automatic, ingrained response.
Analysis
- re: Latin origin, a prefix meaning "back" or "again". - flex: Latin origin (from flectere, to bend), a root meaning "to bend". - ive: Latin suffix -ivus, used to form adjectives meaning "tending to" or "having the nature of".