flashback

Etymology

flash + back

noun

1. (authorship) A dramatic device in which an earlier event is inserted into the normal chronological flow of a narrative.
2. (psychology) A vivid mental image of a past trauma or other sensation that the trauma is happening in the present, especially one that recurs.
   Coordinate term: reminiscence
3. A similar recurrence of the effects of a hallucinogenic drug.
   Maude Lebowski: What do you do for recreation? / The Dude: Oh, the usual. I bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback. 1998, Joel and Ethan Coen, The Big Lebowski (motion picture)
4. The condition of the flame propagating down the hose of an oxy-fuel welding system.
5. (databases) A query that operates against data from an earlier time, before it was changed.
   As noted, that method provides limited support for multi-table flashbacks. 2004, Kevin Loney, Oracle Database 10g The Complete Reference, page 497
   […] less used and specialized types of queries, including composite queries, hierarchical queries, version flashbacks, and parallel queries. 2004, Gavin J. T. Powell, Carol McCullough-Dieter, Oracle SQL: Jumpstart with Examples, page xxv

verb

1. (intransitive) To undergo a flashback; to experience a vivid mental image from the past.