Word of the Day

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

introspection

\in-truh-SPEK-shuhn\ , noun;

The act or process of self-examination; contemplation of one's own thoughts and feelings; a looking inward.

Read the full entry|See synonyms|Comment on today's word

Quotes:

Bill could be harshly self-critical, while Mac -- though not oblivious of his mistakes -- had no time for introspection.

-- Kai Bird, The Color of Truth

Romanes acknowledged that to interpret an animal's thought processes this way required a heavy dose of inference from our own mental patterns, which we access through introspection.

-- Stephen Budiansky, If a Lion Could Talk

Religion absorbed Bailey, and following a period of intense introspection, he began a long quest to become a Congregationalist minister.

-- Thomas G. Dyer, Secret Yankees

Origin:

Introspection derives from the past participle of Latin introspicere, "to look inside," from intro-, "to the inside" + specere, "to look."