rectify

[ rek-tuh-fahy ]
See synonyms for: rectifyrectifiedrectifying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),rec·ti·fied, rec·ti·fy·ing.
  1. to make, put, or set right; remedy; correct: He sent them a check to rectify his account.

  2. to put right by adjustment or calculation, as an instrument or a course at sea.

  1. Chemistry. to purify (especially a spirit or liquor) by repeated distillation.

  2. Electricity. to change (an alternating current) into a direct current.

  3. to determine the length of (a curve).

  4. Astronomy, Geography. to adjust (a globe) for the solution of any proposed problem.

Origin of rectify

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English rectifien, from Middle French rectifier, from Medieval Latin rēctificāre, from Latin rēct(us) “right, straight” + -ificāre -ify;see also right

Other words for rectify

Opposites for rectify

Other words from rectify

  • self-rec·ti·fy·ing, adjective

Words Nearby rectify

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rectify in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rectify

rectify

/ (ˈrɛktɪˌfaɪ) /


verb-fies, -fying or -fied (tr)
  1. to put right; correct; remedy

  2. to separate (a substance) from a mixture or refine (a substance) by fractional distillation

  1. to convert (alternating current) into direct current

  2. maths to determine the length of (a curve)

  3. to cause (an object) to assume a linear motion or characteristic

Origin of rectify

1
C14: via Old French from Medieval Latin rectificāre to adjust, from Latin rectus straight + facere to make

Derived forms of rectify

  • rectifiable, adjective
  • rectification, noun

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