reflejo
/reˈflexo/ · B1 · noun · m
reflex
🪞 re + flex: light or a nerve bends back, like English reflex/reflection
From Latin reflexus, bent back: re- (back) + flectere (to bend). Light bending back off a surface is a reflection, and a nerve signal bouncing back without thought is a reflex. Spanish uses reflejo for both; the Latin x became the Spanish j sound.