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reciprocal

 - 7 dictionary results

re⋅cip⋅ro⋅cal

  [ri-sip-ruh-kuhl]
Use reciprocal in a Sentence
–adjective
1. given or felt by each toward the other; mutual: reciprocal respect.
2. given, performed, felt, etc., in return: reciprocal aid.
3. corresponding; matching; complementary; equivalent: reciprocal privileges at other health clubs.
4. Grammar. (of a pronoun or verb) expressing mutual relationship or action: “Each other” and “one another” are reciprocal pronouns.
5. inversely related or proportional; opposite.
6. Mathematics. noting expressions, relations, etc., involving reciprocals: a reciprocal function.
7. Navigation. bearing in a direction 180° to a given direction; back.
–noun
8. something that is reciprocal to something else; equivalent; counterpart; complement.
9. Also called multiplicative inverse. Mathematics. the ratio of unity to a given quantity or expression; that by which the given quantity or expression is multiplied to produce unity: The reciprocal of x is 1/x.
Origin:
1560–70; < L reciproc(us) returning, reciprocal + -al 1

Related forms:
re⋅cip⋅ro⋅cal⋅i⋅ty, re⋅cip⋅ro⋅cal⋅ness, noun
re⋅cip⋅ro⋅cal⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. See mutual.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To reciprocal
re·cip·ro·cal   (rĭ-sĭp'rə-kəl)   
adj.  

  1. Concerning each of two or more persons or things.

  2. Interchanged, given, or owed to each other: reciprocal agreements to abolish customs duties; a reciprocal invitation to lunch.

  3. Performed, experienced, or felt by both sides: reciprocal respect.

  4. Interchangeable; complementary: reciprocal electric outlets.

  5. Grammar Expressing mutual action or relationship. Used of some verbs and compound pronouns.

  6. Mathematics Of or relating to the reciprocal of a quantity.

  7. Physiology Of or relating to a neuromuscular phenomenon in which the excitation of one group of muscles is accompanied by the inhibition of another.

  8. Genetics Of or designating a pair of crosses in which the male or female parent in one cross is of the same genotype or phenotype as the complementary female or male parent in the other cross.

n.  

  1. Something that is reciprocal to something else.

  2. Mathematics A number related to another in such a way that when multiplied together their product is 1. For example, the reciprocal of 7 is 1/7 ; the reciprocal of 2/3 is 3/2 .


[From Latin reciprocus, alternating; see per1 in Indo-European roots.]
re·cip'ro·cal'i·ty (-kāl'ĭ-tē), re·cip'ro·cal·ness (-kəl-nĭs) n., re·cip'ro·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

reciprocal

The number by which a given number must be multiplied to get a result of one. The reciprocal of one-half, for example, is two.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

reciprocal 
1570, from L. reciprocus "returning the same way, alternating," from pre-L. *reco-proco-, from *recus (from re- "back" + -cus, adjective formation) + *procus (from pro- "forward" + -cus, adjective formation). The verb reciprocate "to return, requite" is recorded from 1820.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: re·cip·ro·cal
Pronunciation: ri-'si-pr&-k&l
Function: adjective
1 a : MUTUAL 2 b : BILATERAL reciprocal contract>
2 : characterized by correspondence or equivalence esp. in return or response with another of the same category reciprocal discovery of the names of the State's alibi rebuttal witnesses —Mauricio v. State, 652 North Eastern Reporter, Second Series 869 (1995)>; also : marked by such correspondence or equivalence between its own components reciprocal arrangement>
3 : marked by reciprocity between states —re·cip·ro·cal·ly adverb
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: re·cip·ro·cal
Pronunciation: ri-'sip-r&-k&l
Function: adjective
1 : inversely related
2 : of, constituting, or resulting from paired crosses in which the kind that supplies the male parent of the first cross supplies the female parent of the second cross and vice versa
3 : shared, felt, or shown by both sides
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

reciprocal re·cip·ro·cal (rĭ-sĭp'rə-kəl)
adj.

  1. Of or relating to a neuromuscular phenomenon in which the excitation of one group of muscles is accompanied by the inhibition of another.

  2. Of or being a pair of crosses in which the male parent in one cross is of the same genotype or phenotype as the female parent in the other cross.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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