- introspect (v.)
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- 1680s, "to look into" (transitive), from Latin introspectus, past participle of introspicere "look at, look into; examine, observe attentively," from intro- "inward" (see intro-) + specere "to look at" (see scope (n.1)). Meaning "look within, search one's feelings or thoughts" is from 1875, a back-formation from introspection. Related: Introspected; introspecting.