reflector

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a surface or device that sends light, heat, sound, or other radiation back

   A curved reflector directs the lamp's light toward the road.

2. 2
   noun

   a reflecting telescope that forms an image with a concave mirror

   The observatory's large reflector gathered enough light to reveal the faint galaxy.

3. 3
   noun

   a small light-reflecting marker used to make a person, vehicle, or object visible in darkness

   Each bicycle pedal has an amber reflector.

From reflect + the agent or instrument suffix -or, ultimately from Latin reflectere ("to bend back"). The word names anything whose function is to return waves or radiation toward their source or another direction.

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