introspect (v.)

1680s, "to look into" (transitive), from Latin introspectus, past participle of introspicere "look at, look into; examine, observe attentively," from intro- "inward" (see intro-) + specere "to look at" (from PIE root *spek- "to observe"). Meaning "look within, search one's feelings or thoughts" is from 1875, a back-formation from introspection. Related: Introspected; introspecting.

also from 1680s

Entries linking to introspect

introspection (n.)

1670s, "action of closely inspecting or examining," noun of action from past participle stem of Latin introspicere "to look into, look at, examine, observe attentively," from intro- "inward" (see intro-) + specere "to look at" (from PIE root *spek- "to observe"). Meaning "action of searching one's feelings or thoughts" is from 1807.

intro-

word-forming element, from Latin intro (adv.) "in, on the inside, within, to the inside," from PIE *en-t(e)ro-, suffixed form of root *en "in."

*spek-

*en

See all related words (4) >

Trends of introspect

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to Explore

reflect

late 14c., reflecten, "turn or bend (something) back, reverse;" early 15c., "to divert, to turn (something) aside, deflect," from Old French reflecter (14c.), from Latin reflectere "to bend back, bend backwards, turn away," from re- "back" (see re-) + flectere "to bend" (see flex

muse

"to reflect, ponder, meditate; to be absorbed in thought," mid-14c., from Old French muser (12c.) "to ponder, dream, wonder; loiter, waste time," which is of uncertain origin; the explanation in Diez and Skeat is literally "to stand with one's nose in the air" (or, possibly, "to

mull

"ponder, turn over in one's mind," 1873, perhaps from a figurative use of mull (v.) "grind to powder" (which survived into 19c. in dialect), from Middle English mullyn, mollen "grind to powder, soften by pulverizing," also "to fondle or pet" (late 14c.), from Old French moillier

contemplate

1590s, "reflect upon, ponder, study, view mentally, meditate," from Latin contemplatus, past participle of contemplari "to gaze attentively, observe; consider, contemplate," originally "to mark out a space for observation" (as an augur does), from assimilated form of com-, here p

meditate

1580s, "to ponder, think abstractly, engage in mental contemplation" (intransitive), probably a back-formation from meditation, or else from Latin meditatus, past participle of meditari "to meditate, think over, reflect, consider," frequentative form of PIE root *med- "take appro

speculate

1590s, "view mentally, contemplate" (transitive), back-formation from speculation. Also formerly "view as from a watchtower" (1610s). The intransitive sense of "pursue truth by conjecture or thinking" is from 1670s. The meaning "invest money upon risk for the sake of profit" is f

ponder

mid-14c., ponderen, "to estimate the worth of, to appraise" (a sense now obsolete), from Old French ponderer "to weigh, poise" (14c., Modern French pondérer) and directly from Latin ponderare "ponder, consider, reflect," literally "to weigh," from pondus (genitive ponderis) "weig

ignominious

early 15c., from Latin ignominiosus "disgraceful, shameful," from ignominia "disgrace, infamy, loss of a (good) name," from assimilated form of in- "not, opposite of" (see in- (1)) + nomen (genitive nominis) "name" (from PIE root *no-men- "name"). The Latin spelling perhaps influ

access

early 14c., "an attack of fever," from Old French acces "onslaught, attack; onset (of an illness)," from Latin accessus "a coming to, an approach; way of approach, entrance," noun use of past participle of accedere "to approach," from assimilated form of ad "to" (see ad-) + ceder

figure

c. 1200, "numeral;" mid-13c., "visible appearance of a person;" late 14c., "visible and tangible form of anything," from Old French figure "shape, body; form of a word; figure of speech; symbol, allegory" (10c), from Latin figura "a shape, form, figure; quality, kind, style; figu

Share introspect

‘cite’

Page URL:

https://www.etymonline.com/word/introspect

HTML Link:

<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/introspect">Etymology of introspect by etymonline</a>

APA style:

Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of introspect. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved $(datetime), from https://www.etymonline.com/word/introspect

Chicago style:

Harper Douglas, “Etymology of introspect,” Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed $(datetime), https://www.etymonline.com/word/introspect.

MLA style:

Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of introspect.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/introspect. Accessed $(datetimeMla).

IEEE style:

D. Harper. “Etymology of introspect.” Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/introspect (accessed $(datetime)).

updated on September 28, 2017

Remove ads >

Trending words

1. teacher
2. autumn
3. empathy
4. philadelphia
5. research
6. vote
7. pan
8. deluge
9. humble
10. compassion

Dictionary entries near introspect

introit

introject

introjection

intron

introrse

introspect

introspection

introspective

introversion

introvert

introverted