Retrospect
/ˈrɛ.trəʊˌspɛkt/noun
A look back at past events or experiences.
Did you know?Retrospect comes from Latin roots meaning “look back,” and it shares the same spect- root as words like spectacle and inspect — a family of words all centered on the power of seeing.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*spek-
“to look, observe”
Latin
Latin
specere
“to look, see”
Latin
Latin
retrospicere
“to look back”
16th Century
English
retrospect
“a looking back; contemplation of the past”
Modern English
English
retrospect
“a review or contemplation of past events”