Word of the Day for Wednesday 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.

Bill could be harshly self-critical, while Mac -- though
not oblivious of his mistakes -- had no time for
introspection.
--Kai Bird, [1]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, [2]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, [3]Secret Yankees
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Introspection derives from the past participle of Latin
introspicere, "to look inside," from intro-, "to the inside"
+
specere, "to look."