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definitions

erect

[ih-rekt]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR erect ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

to become erect; stand up or out.

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RELATED WORDS

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

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 erect 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. 2019

Examples from the Web for erecting

Contemporary Examples of erecting

Historical Examples of erecting

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

v.

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

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for erecting

erect

[ĭ-rĕkt′]

adj.

Being in or having a vertical, upright position.
Being in or having a stiff, rigid physiological condition.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.