reciprocal
/ɹɪˈsɪpɹək(ə)l/
reciprocal · adj — of a feeling, action or such: mutual, uniformly felt or done by each party towards the other or others; two-way. It carries an Arena rating of 1663, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, reciprocal ranks #403 of 17,180 for Most Ingenious Words, #834 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words, #852 of 43,042 for Qualifying, #1,006 of 17,162 for Most Elegant Words.
reciprocal is pronounced /ɹɪˈsɪpɹək(ə)l/.
Why “reciprocal” is a great word
Given, felt, or done in return by each of two parties toward the other. From the Latin *reciprocus* ("returning the same way, alternating"), likely from the phrase *reque proque* ("back and forth"), from *re-* ("back"), *pro-* ("forward"), and *-que* ("and"), first recorded in English 1560–70. Unlike "mutual," which describes a shared state but not necessarily an answering motion, or "inverse," a sterile mathematical reversal, *reciprocal* insists on a balanced return. It is the unspoken compact of a nod returned, the elegant symmetry of a friendship's give-and-take, and the quiet arithmetic of a number multiplied by its partner to yield the unity of one—a promise that every gesture contains its own reply.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
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”).
adj
- Of a feeling, action or such: mutual, uniformly felt or done by each party towards the other or others; two-way.e.g.“reciprocal love”
- Mutually interchangeable.e.g.“These two rules will render a definition reciprocal with the thing defined.” — 1725, Isaac Watts, Logick: Or, The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry after Truth, […], 2nd edition, London: […] John Clark and Richard Hett, […], Emanuel Matthews, […], and Richard Ford, […], publish
- Expressing mutual action, applied to pronouns and verbs; also in a broad sense: reflexive.
- Used to denote different kinds of mutual relation; often with reference to the substitution of reciprocals for given quantities.
noun
- The number obtained by dividing 1 by another given number; the result of exchanging the numerator and the denominator of a fraction.e.g.“0.5 is the reciprocal of 2.”
- A construction expressing mutual action.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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