Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - reflexive

 I. adjective  Etymology: Medieval Latin reflexivus, from Latin reflexus  Date: 1640  1.  a. directed or turned back on itself; also overtly and usually ironically reflecting conventions of genre or form a ~ novel  b. marked by or capable of reflection ; reflective  2. of, relating to, characterized by, or being a relation that exists between an entity and itself the relation “is equal to” is ~ but the relation “is the father of” is not  3. of, relating to, or constituting an action (as in “he perjured himself”) directed back on the agent or the grammatical subject  4. characterized by habitual and unthinking behavior  • ~ly adverb  • ~ness noun  • reflexivity noun  II. noun  Date: 1866 ~ pronoun