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# reflection

noun (a reflection, reflections; reflection)

«reflection» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A reflection is the picture you see in a mirror, in water or on a shiny surface. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflection/#m1)
2. In science, reflection is light, sound or heat bouncing back off a surface. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflection/#m2)
3. In maths, a reflection is a flip of a shape over a line (a mirror line) so it looks like its mirror image. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflection/#m3)
4. Reflection is also careful thinking about something. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflection/#m4)

### In the lessons

In science lessons pupils learn that we see things because light reflects off them, and that smooth shiny surfaces reflect best. In maths, reflection is a transformation, along with rotation and translation, and is linked to symmetry. In school pupils write a «reflection» on what they learned. Phrases: «a reflection in the mirror», «line of reflection», «on reflection», «reflection of light».

### Examples

- The cat stared at its reflection in the mirror. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflection/#x1)
- I saw the mountains' reflection in the still lake. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflection/#x2)
- Draw the reflection of the triangle in the mirror line. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflection/#x3)
- Reflection of light lets us see the Moon. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflection/#x4)
- An echo is a reflection of sound. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflection/#x5)
- On reflection, I think I was unfair. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflection/#x6)
- Write a short reflection about your science project. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflection/#x7)
- I have got it all from my reflections and thoughts. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflection/#x8)

### Note

Countable (a reflection, reflections) and uncountable (the process, careful thought). Verb: «reflect». In maths a reflection keeps the same size and shape but flips it: each point is the same distance from the mirror line on the other side. Words in a mirror look back-to-front.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «reflection» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/R/reflection/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«reflection» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/reflection.html) on Mova free.