reciprocal
/ɹɪˈsɪpɹək(ə)l/ adjective, noun
Forms reciprocals
- adjective Of a feeling, action or such: mutual, uniformly felt or done by each party towards the other or others; two-way. “reciprocal love”
- adjective Mutually interchangeable.
- adjective (grammar) Expressing mutual action, applied to pronouns and verbs; also in a broad sense: reflexive.
- adjective (mathematics) Used to denote different kinds of mutual relation; often with reference to the substitution of reciprocals for given quantities.
- noun (arithmetic) The number obtained by dividing 1 by another given number; the result of exchanging the numerator and the denominator of a fraction. “0.5 is the reciprocal of 2.”
- noun (grammar) A construction expressing mutual action.
Synonyms
reciprocating mutual two-way contrary opposite converse inverse inverted cross reflexive commutual correlative corresponding interrelated reciprocative multiplicative inverse reciprocal cross
Antonyms
Etymology
From Latin reciprocus, possibly from a phrase such as reque proque (“back and forth, to and fro”), from re- (“back”), prō (“forwards”) and -que (“and”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Recurring in vicissitude; alternate.
- adjective Done by each to the other; interchanging or interchanged; given and received; due from each to each; mutual; as, reciprocal love; reciprocal duties.
- noun That which is reciprocal to another thing.
- noun The quotient arising from dividing unity by any quantity; thus ¼ is the reciprocal of 4; 1/(a + b) is the reciprocal of a + b. The reciprocal of a fraction is the fraction inverted, or the denominator divided by the numerator.
Etymology [L. reciprocus; of unknown origin.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “reciprocal”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details