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rectify

[ rek-tuh-fahy ]
/ ˈrɛk təˌfaɪ /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rectify ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), rec·ti·fied, rec·ti·fy·ing.

to make, put, or set right; remedy; correct: He sent them a check to rectify his account.
to put right by adjustment or calculation, as an instrument or a course at sea.
Chemistry. to purify (especially a spirit or liquor) by repeated distillation.
Electricity. to change (an alternating current) into a direct current.
to determine the length of (a curve).
Astronomy, Geography. to adjust (a globe) for the solution of any proposed problem.

RELATED WORDS

amend, fix, remedy, redress, improve, repair, right, scrub, doctor, reform, launder, debug, adjust, square, mend, emend, revise, recalibrate

Nearby words

  1. recti-,
  2. rectifiable,
  3. rectification,
  4. rectified spirit,
  5. rectifier,
  6. rectilinear,
  7. rectirostral,
  8. rectitis,
  9. rectitude,
  10. rectitudinous

Origin of rectify

1350–1400; Middle English rectifien < Middle French rectifier < Medieval Latin rēctificāre, equivalent to Latin rēct(us) right + -ificāre -ify
ANTONYMS FOR rectify
1. worsen, muddle.
SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR rectify ON THESAURUS.COM
Related formsnon·rec·ti·fied, adjectiveself-rec·ti·fy·ing, adjectiveun·rec·ti·fied, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rectify

British Dictionary definitions for rectify

rectify

/ (ˈrɛktɪˌfaɪ) /

verb -fies, -fying or -fied (tr)

to put right; correct; remedy
to separate (a substance) from a mixture or refine (a substance) by fractional distillation
to convert (alternating current) into direct current
maths to determine the length of (a curve)
to cause (an object) to assume a linear motion or characteristic
Derived Formsrectifiable, adjectiverectification, noun

Word Origin for rectify

C14: via Old French from Medieval Latin rectificāre to adjust, from Latin rectus straight + facere to make
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 rectify

rectify

v.

c.1400, from Old French rectifier, literally "to make straight" (14c.), from Late Latin rectificare "make right," from Latin rectus "straight" (see right (adj.1)) + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Related: Rectified; rectifying.

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

rectify

[ rĕk′tə-fī′ ]

v.

To set right; correct.
To refine or purify, especially by distillation.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.