To turn aside, especially from a straight or fixed course.

Use of the physical meaning of *deflect* is common. Thus, a soccer goalie's save might involve deflecting the ball rather than catching it, and workers wear eye shields to deflect tiny particles flying out of machines. But the nonphysical meaning may be even more common. A Hollywood actress might deflect criticism about her personal life by giving lavishly to charity, for example, and we've all tried to change the subject to deflect a question we really didn't want to answer.

(1) Capable of reflecting light, images, or sound waves. (2) Thoughtful.

Reflective people are people who *reflect* on things—that is, look back at things that have been done or said in order to think calmly and quietly about them. Most reflective people would agree with Socrates that (as he told the jury that would soon sentence him to death) “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Reflective people tend to be a bit philosophical and intellectual. But almost everyone has reflective moods; gazing into a fireplace or a campfire seems to do it to almost everyone.

To kneel on one knee and then rise as an act of respect.

*Genuflection*, which contains the root *genu-,* “knee,” has long been a mark of respect and obedience. King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table genuflected not only when he knighted them but whenever they greeted him formally, and this custom remains in countries today that are still ruled by royalty. In some churches, each worshipper is expected to genuflect whenever entering or leaving a pew on the central aisle.

(1) A change in the pitch, tone, or loudness of the voice. (2) The change in form of a word showing its case, gender, number, person, tense, mood, voice, or comparison.

Changing the pitch, tone, or loudness of our words are ways we communicate meaning in speech, though not on the printed page. A rising inflection at the end of a sentence generally indicates a question, and a falling inflection indicates a statement, for example. Another way of *inflecting* words is by adding endings: *-s* to make a noun plural, *-ed* to put a verb in the past tense, *- er* to form the comparative form of an adjective, and so on.

Situated toward or on the back; rear.

*Posterior* comes from the Latin word *posterus,* meaning “coming after.” *Posterior* is often used as a technical term in biology and medicine to refer to the back side of things, and is the opposite of *anterior,* which refers to the front side. For example, as more people took up running as a sport, doctors began to see an increase in stress fractures along the posterior as well as the anterior surface of the lower leg bones. In some technical fields, *posterior* may mean “later.” When used as a noun, *posterior* simply means “buttocks.”

(1) Published after the death of the author. (2) Following or happening after one's death.

Posthumous fame is fame that comes a little late. In fact, its original meaning in English is “born after the death of the father.” Bill Clinton was the posthumous son of a father who died in an automobile accident. The word is now mostly used of artistic works that appear after the death of the artist, or the changing reputation of a dead artist. Such posthumous works as Herman Melville's *Billy Budd*, the diary of Anne Frank, and almost all the poetry of Emily Dickinson have become legendary, and in each case they had a major influence on the writer's reputation.

With its prefix post-, *postmodern* describes a movement that has reacted against modernism. Modernism, dating from around the start of the 20th century, represented a sharp break from 19th-century styles. But in the 1970s architects began to be dissatisfied with the stark simplicity of most modern architecture and began including in their mostly modern designs such traditional elements as columns, arches, and keystones and sometimes startling color contrasts such as might have come from advertising and pop culture. In art and literature, as in architecture, *postmodernism* often seems to be making fun of tradition, especially by denying that there's any real distinction between serious and popular art or writing. Wherever it has shown up, postmodernism has been greeted with a mixture of approval, disapproval, and sometimes amusement.

(1) Occurring after death. (2) Following the event.

*Post mortem* is Latin for “after death.” In English, *postmortem* refers to an examination, investigation, or process that takes place after death. A postmortem examination of a body (often simply called a *postmortem*) is often needed to determine the time and cause of death; the stiffening called rigor mortis is one postmortem change that doctors look at to determine when death occurred. Today we've come to use *postmortem* to refer to any examination or discussion that takes place after an event.