erect

[ih-rekt]

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.
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.
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.

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 for erect

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. standing, vertical. See upright. 6. upraise.

Antonyms for erect

1. reclining.

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

Related Words for erecting

organize, raise, create, construct, initiate, hoist, stand, assemble, found, mount, fashion, frame, elevate, shape, pitch, compose, make, upraise, forge, manufacture

Examples from the Web for erecting

Contemporary Examples of erecting

They also can slow down the committee process, erecting obstacles to scheduling hearings.
The GOP’s Nuclear Winter Strategy
Eleanor Clift
December 2, 2013
His illicit artwork showed that erecting barriers is not only inhumane, but also futile.
The Big Idea: Why Forgeries Are Great Art
Jonathon Keats
April 25, 2013
One of his biggest achievements was erecting a library annex that had needed to be completed for 25 years.
Why ‘Mystery Speaker’ Clint Eastwood Loves the GOP
Miranda Green
August 31, 2012
“CAI has become proficient at erecting schools off the beaten path, and Mortenson deserves praise for that,” Krakauer writes.
The Greg Mortenson Case's Fallout for Women
Michelle Goldberg
April 18, 2011
Detroiters, now erecting a Robocop statue as a half-joking, half-serious morale boost, may want to consider bronzing Mulally next.
The CEO Hail Mary: A Scorecard on Corporate Change Agents
Nick Summers
March 1, 2011

Historical Examples of erecting

We are erecting here a new and beautiful theater, it opens Aug. 21.
Cleveland Past and Present
Maurice Joblin
They were erecting barricades in the streets, and mounting these guns upon them.
Scaramouche
Rafael Sabatini
For erecting a flagstaff and forming a fence, the Staff is very useful.
Boy Scouts Handbook
Boy Scouts of America
What an appropriate spot for erecting an Irish Apothecaries' Hall!
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 104, April 8, 1893
Various
Clause 22 reserves to the Crown the power of erecting forts, dockyards, etc.
Home Rule
Harold Spender

British Dictionary definitions for erecting

erect

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 erecting

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).

erect

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

erecting in Medicine

erect

[ĭ-rĕkt′]

adj.

Being in or having a vertical, upright position.
Being in or having a stiff, rigid physiological condition.