reflexivus

Forms

reflexīvus (feminine reflexīva, neuter reflexīvum, adverb reflexīvē); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin reflexus¹ (“bent back”) + -īvus,^[1][2] the participle of reflectō (“to bend back”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates its earliest record, from Latham's word-list of British Medieval Latin, to 1267.^[4] Roger Bacon uses it of vision by reflection, which he calls weaker than direct vision, and of motion that turns back, which he says cannot be continuous.^[2]

Semantic evolution

In scholastic texts it described acts that turn back on themselves (super se reflexivus): a summa attributed to Grosseteste calls the act of understanding necessarily reflexive on itself, and the Oxford Quaestiones ask whether happiness lies in a reflexive act.^[2] Wiktionary gives the adverb reflexīvē.^[1]

English took reflexive in the 1580s in the sense “reflective, bending back”; the grammatical sense of verbs whose action turns back on the subject is found by 1740.^[3]

Timeline

• 1267 – Earliest dated record that Köbler gives;^[4][2] Roger Bacon uses it of reflected vision.^[4][2]
• 1580s – English borrows it as reflexive, “reflective”.^[3]
• by 1740 – English uses reflexive of verbs.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (Medieval Latin) Moving in the opposite direction, turning back.^[2]
2. (Medieval Latin) Of or by reflection; turning back on itself, reflective.^[2]
3. Reflexive.^[1]

Related words

• English reflexive

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de