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erect

[ih-rekt]
See more synonyms for erect on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. upright in position or posture: to stand or sit erect.
  2. raised or directed upward: a dog with ears erect.
  3. Botany. vertical throughout; not spreading or declined: an erect stem; an erect leaf or ovule.
  4. Heraldry.
    1. (of a charge) represented palewise: a sword erect.
    2. (of an animal or part of an animal) represented upright: a boar's head erect.
  5. Optics. (of an image) having the same position as the object; not inverted.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to build; construct; raise: to erect a house.
  2. to raise and set in an upright or vertical position: to erect a telegraph pole.
  3. to set up or establish, as an institution; found.
  4. to bring about; cause to come into existence: to erect barriers to progress.
  5. Geometry. to draw or construct (a line or figure) upon a given line, base, or the like.
  6. to form or create legally (usually followed by into): to erect a territory into a state.
  7. Optics. to change (an inverted image) to the normal position.
  8. Machinery. to assemble; make ready for use.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to become erect; stand up or out.
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Origin of erect

1350–1400; Middle English < Latin ērēctus raised up (past participle of ērigere), equivalent to ē- e-1 + reg- guide, direct (see royal) + -tus past participle suffix
Related formse·rect·a·ble, adjectivee·rect·ly, adverbe·rect·ness, nounnon·e·rect·ing, adjectivepre·e·rect, verb (used with object)re·e·rect, verb (used with object)self-e·rect·ed, adjectivesem·i·e·rect, adjectivesem·i·e·rect·ly, adverbsem·i·e·rect·ness, nounsub·e·rect, adjectivesub·e·rect·ly, adverbsub·e·rect·ness, nounun·e·rect, adjectiveun·e·rect·ed, adjectivewell-e·rect·ed, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for erect on Thesaurus.com
1. standing, vertical. See upright. 6. upraise.

Antonyms

1. reclining.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for erect

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • It is contemplated to erect a monument, by subscription, to Mr. Fessenden's memory.

    Biographical Sketches

    Nathaniel Hawthorne

  • She stood a little drooping and shaken, where for a moment she had been erect and tensed.

    Within the Law

    Marvin Dana

  • There entered the erect, heavy figure of the man whom Mary had hated through the years.

    Within the Law

    Marvin Dana

  • The little squirrel had squeaked his gladness, and, tail erect, had darted into the grass.

    K

    Mary Roberts Rinehart

  • He was erect, pale and handsome, and his words came without a quiver.

    The Rock of Chickamauga

    Joseph A. Altsheler

British Dictionary definitions for erect

erect

adjective
  1. upright in posture or position; not bent or leaningan erect stance
  2. (of an optical image) having the same orientation as the object; not inverted
  3. physiol (of the penis, clitoris, or nipples) firm or rigid after swelling with blood, esp as a result of sexual excitement
  4. (of plant parts) growing vertically or at right angles to the parts from which they arise
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verb (mainly tr)
  1. to put up; construct; build
  2. to raise to an upright position; lift upto erect a flagpole
  3. to found or form; set up
  4. (also intr) physiol to become or cause to become firm or rigid by filling with blood
  5. to hold up as an ideal; exalt
  6. optics to change (an inverted image) to an upright position
  7. to draw or construct (a line, figure, etc) on a given line or figure, esp at right angles to it
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Derived Formserectable, adjectiveerectly, adverberectness, noun

Word Origin

C14: from Latin ērigere to set up, from regere to control, govern
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for erect

adj.

late 14c., "upright, not bending," from Latin erectus "upright, elevated, lofty; eager, alert, aroused," past participle of erigere "raise or set up," from e- "up" + regere "to direct, keep straight, guide" (see regal).

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v.

c.1400, a back-formation from erect (adj.) or else from Latin erectus. Related: Erected; erecting.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
erect in Medicine

erect

(ĭ-rĕkt′)
adj.
  1. Being in or having a vertical, upright position.
  2. Being in or having a stiff, rigid physiological condition.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.