reciprocal
- given or felt by each toward the other; mutual: reciprocal respect.
- given, performed, felt, etc., in return: reciprocal aid.
- corresponding; matching; complementary; equivalent: reciprocal privileges at other health clubs.
- Grammar. (of a pronoun or verb) expressing mutual relationship or action: “Each other” and “one another” are reciprocal pronouns.
- inversely related or proportional; opposite.
- Mathematics. noting expressions, relations, etc., involving reciprocals: a reciprocal function.
- Navigation. bearing in a direction 180° to a given direction; back.
- something that is reciprocal to something else; equivalent; counterpart; complement.
- Also called multiplicative inverse. Mathematics. the ratio of unity to a given quantity or expression; that by which the given quantity or expression is multiplied to produce unity: The reciprocal of x is 1/x.
Origin of reciprocal
Synonym study
Related Words for reciprocal
mutual, complementary, dependent, double, equivalent, give-and-take, twin, fellow, duplicate, correlative, coordinate, convertible, companion, changeable, corresponding, exchangeable, interchangeable, matching, reciprocative, interdependentExamples from the Web for reciprocal
Contemporary Examples of reciprocal
His visit also included a reciprocal invitation that the pope plans to follow up on in late May.
One reason for cheer is that the interim agreement has brought together the hard-liners, theirs and ours, in reciprocal dismay.
The safety net is rooted in human instincts about reciprocal exchange.
And stop hugging Israel closer without looking for reciprocal moves.
Of course, for reciprocal altruism to work, it must be reciprocated.
Mark Pagel in ‘Wired for Culture’ Makes a Strong Case for Cultural DeterminismCasey Schwartz
March 4, 2012
Historical Examples of reciprocal
The feeling then was reciprocal, and he was proposed for the vacant seat.
The Grand Old ManRichard B. Cook
Their influence on us is at least reciprocal with ours on them.
Little Annie's Ramble (From "Twice Told Tales")Nathaniel Hawthorne
Science appears to show that every physical process is reciprocal, and may be reversed.
Heroes of the TelegraphJ. Munro
The doctrine of the discourse was the reciprocal duty of pastor and people.
Cleveland Past and PresentMaurice Joblin
If such occur, then comes in the assistance of the reciprocal insurance.
FreelandTheodor Hertzka
reciprocal
- of, relating to, or designating something given by each of two people, countries, etc, to the other; mutualreciprocal friendship; reciprocal trade
- given or done in returna reciprocal favour
- (of a pronoun) indicating that action is given and received by each subject; for example, each other in the sentence they started to shout at each other
- maths of or relating to a number or quantity divided into one
- nautical denoting a course or bearing that is 180° from the previous or assumed one
- something that is reciprocal
- Also called: inverse maths a number or quantity that when multiplied by a given number or quantity gives a product of onethe reciprocal of 2 is 0.5
Word Origin for reciprocal
Word Origin and History for reciprocal
1560s, with -al (1) + stem of Latin reciprocus "returning the same way, alternating," from pre-Latin *reco-proco-, from *recus (from re- "back;" see re-, + -cus, adjective formation) + *procus (from pro- "forward;" see pro-, + -cus. Related: Reciprocally. The noun meaning "that which is reciprocal" (to another) is from 1560s.
reciprocal
(rĭ-sĭp′rə-kəl)- Of or relating to a neuromuscular phenomenon in which the excitation of one group of muscles is accompanied by the inhibition of another.
- Of or being a pair of crosses in which the male parent in one cross is of the same genotype or phenotype as the female parent in the other cross.
reciprocal
- Either of a pair of numbers whose product is 1. For example, the number 3 is the reciprocal of 13.
reciprocal
The number by which a given number must be multiplied to get a result of one. The reciprocal of one-half, for example, is two.