reflectentadj.n.

1644 K. Digby Two Treat. i. xiii. 108 Refraction at the entrance into the reflectent body is towardes the perpendicular.

1654 W. Charleton Physiologia Epicuro-Gassendo-Charltoniana iii. iv. 193 Light may arrive at the Eye from them, with the like Reflections and Intermistion with shadows, as from the extremes of the Reflectent Body, through the Glass.

1790 A. Francis Misc. Poems 56 Above, about the livid lightnings play'd—Reflectent on the deep impervious shade.

1795 F. A. Winzer tr. C. M. Wieland Sympathy of Souls 17 All visible is but a shadow, reflectent of the invisible, the divine and eternal Being.

1829 Princ. Nat. & Metaphysical Philos. 39 His [sc. the sun's] light would be steady and of a reflectent appearance like theirs [sc. the planets'].

1925 F. Rothwell tr. J. Wahl Pluralist Philos. Eng. & Amer. ii. i. 51 There is no substance separate from phenomena but rather a quality of phenomena, their substantiality, their reflectent power when they offer themselves in a certain harmonious order.

1976 Polar Rec. 18 270 The solution to the problem of detecting certain white animals on a white background only became apparent when the reflectent characteristics of the seal were compared with those of the background.

1658 Sir T. Browne Garden of Cyrus iv, in Hydriotaphia: Urne-buriall 183 The line of reflexion being continued unto the place of vision, there ariseth a semi-decussation, which makes the object seen in a perpendicular unto it self, and as farre below the reflectent, as it is from it above.

a1702 J. Frazer Deuteroskopia (1707) 19 Any lucid smooth and solid reflectent [1820: reflectant].