English Explanatory Dictionary

reciprocal

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Of a feeling, action or such: mutual, uniformly felt or done by each party towards the other or others; two-way.
  2. Mutually interchangeable.
  3. Expressing mutual action, applied to pronouns and verbs; also in a broad sense: reflexive.
  4. Used to denote different kinds of mutual relation; often with reference to the substitution of reciprocals for given quantities.
  5. Done, given, felt, or owed in return.
noun
  1. The number obtained by dividing 1 by another given number; the result of exchanging the numerator and the denominator of a fraction.
  2. A construction expressing mutual action.

Pronunciation

/ɹɪˈsɪpɹək(ə)l/ en-us-reciprocal.ogg /resipro(ː)kəl/

Word forms

reciprocal reciprocals

Etymology

From Latin reciprocus, possibly from a phrase such as reque proque (“back and forth, to and fro”), from re- (“back”), prō (“forwards”) and -que (“and”).

Synonyms

mutual two-way contrary opposite converse inverse inverted cross reflexive commutual correlative corresponding interrelated reciprocal reciprocative reciprocating multiplicative inverse

Related words

reciprocity

Derived words

antireciprocal irreciprocal nonreciprocal prime reciprocal magic square reciprocal altruism reciprocality reciprocal IVF reciprocalization reciprocalize reciprocal lattice reciprocally reciprocalness reciprocal pronoun reciprocal proportion recipromantic unreciprocal
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