erect

[ ih-rekt ]

/ ɪˈrɛkt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR erect ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

upright in position or posture: to stand or sit erect.

raised or directed upward: a dog with ears erect.

Botany. vertical throughout; not spreading or declined: an erect stem; an erect leaf or ovule.

Heraldry.

(of a charge) represented palewise: a sword erect.
(of an animal or part of an animal) represented upright: a boar's head erect.

Optics. (of an image) having the same position as the object; not inverted.

verb (used with object)

to build; construct; raise: to erect a house.

to raise and set in an upright or vertical position: to erect a telegraph pole.

to set up or establish, as an institution; found.

to bring about; cause to come into existence: to erect barriers to progress.

Geometry. to draw or construct (a line or figure) upon a given line, base, or the like.

to form or create legally (usually followed by into): to erect a territory into a state.

Optics. to change (an inverted image) to the normal position.

Machinery. to assemble; make ready for use.

verb (used without object)

to become erect; stand up or out.

Nearby words

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

SYNONYMS FOR erect

1 standing, vertical. See upright.

6 upraise.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR erect ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR erect

1 reclining.

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Related forms

e·rect·a·ble, adjectivee·rect·ly, adverbe·rect·ness, nounnon·e·rect·ing, adjective

pre·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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for erected

Exactly one month after the first straw goat was erected in Gävle, it was mysteriously burned to a crisp.
Sweden’s Burning Christmas Goat|Nina Strochlic|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Other buildings have since been erected and then torn down or sold.
Inside New York’s Scandal-Hit Seminary and Other ‘Open House’ Treats|Lizzie Crocker|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The prohibition was erected for good reason: to prevent the religious wars that wracked Europe in the previous century.
The Tea Party Isn’t a Political Movement, It’s a Religious One|Jack Schwartz|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
BrightSource has erected 7,644 mirrors in a circle surrounding a 327-foot tower filled with water.
Renewables Can Make Fossil Fuel More Efficient|The Daily Beast|May 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

It was once described as “the most reviled public statue ever erected” in the U.S.
Weird Washington Monument History|William O’Connor|May 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1826 a building was erected for the school by the society, which has borne the name of Divinity Hall.
Unitarianism in America|George Willis Cooke
Both these mills were to be erected on the open spot of ground formerly used as a parade by the marine battalion.
An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Vol. 1|David Collins
Opinions as to the purposes for which the Nuraghe were erected are as various as those regarding their origin.
Rambles in the Islands of Corsica and Sardinia|Thomas Forester
There are many persons who confound this with the third theatre, erected by Douglas.
Foot-prints of a letter carrier|James Rees
Your aspiring edifice shall never be erected in this State, sir.
The Politician Out-Witted|Samuel Low

British Dictionary definitions for erected

erect

/ (ɪˈrɛkt) /

adjective

upright in posture or position; not bent or leaningan erect stance

(of an optical image) having the same orientation as the object; not inverted

physiol (of the penis, clitoris, or nipples) firm or rigid after swelling with blood, esp as a result of sexual excitement

(of plant parts) growing vertically or at right angles to the parts from which they arise

verb (mainly tr)

to put up; construct; build

to raise to an upright position; lift upto erect a flagpole

to found or form; set up

(also intr) physiol to become or cause to become firm or rigid by filling with blood

to hold up as an ideal; exalt

optics to change (an inverted image) to an upright position

to draw or construct (a line, figure, etc) on a given line or figure, esp at right angles to it

Derived Formserectable, adjectiveerectly, adverberectness, noun

Word Origin for erect

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 erected (1 of 2)

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).

Word Origin and History for erected (1 of 2)

erect

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

Medicine definitions for erected

erect

[ ĭ-rĕkt′ ]

adj.

Being in or having a vertical, upright position.

Being in or having a stiff, rigid physiological condition.

erect

adjective

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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Nearby words

Origin of erect

Examples from the Web for erected

British Dictionary definitions for erected

erect

adjective

verb (mainly tr)

Word Origin for erect

Word Origin and History for erected (1 of 2)

erect

Word Origin and History for erected (1 of 2)

erect

Medicine definitions for erected

erect

adj.