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reciprocate

[ ri-sip-ruh-keyt ]
/ rɪˈsɪp rəˌkeɪt /
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See synonyms for: reciprocate / reciprocated / reciprocates / reciprocating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), re·cip·ro·cat·ed, re·cip·ro·cat·ing.
to give, feel, etc., in return.
to give and receive reciprocally; interchange: to reciprocate favors.
to cause to move alternately backward and forward.
verb (used without object), re·cip·ro·cat·ed, re·cip·ro·cat·ing.
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Origin of reciprocate

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin reciprocātus, past participle of reciprocāre “to move back and forth”; see -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM reciprocate

re·cip·ro·ca·tive, re·cip·ro·ca·to·ry [ri-sip-ruh-kuh-tawr-ee], /rɪˈsɪp rə kəˌtɔr i/, adjectivere·cip·ro·ca·tor, nounnon·re·cip·ro·cat·ing, adjectiveun·re·cip·ro·cat·ing, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use reciprocate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for reciprocate

reciprocate
/ (rɪˈsɪprəˌkeɪt) /

verb
to give or feel in return
to move or cause to move backwards and forwards
(intr) to be correspondent or equivalent

Derived forms of reciprocate

reciprocation, nounreciprocative or reciprocatory, adjectivereciprocator, noun

Word Origin for reciprocate

C17: from Latin reciprocāre, from reciprocus reciprocal
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
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