recto means the front side of a flat object which is to be examined visually, as for reading, such as a sheet, leaf, coin or medal. It carries an Arena rating of 1412, earned across 7 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, recto ranks #1,248 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #2,868 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #4,209 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #8,237 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
recto is pronounced /ˈɹɛk.toʊ/.
Why “recto” is a great word
The right-hand page of an open book, typically bearing an odd page number, or the front side of a leaf, sheet, or coin. From the Latin phrase 'rēctō foliō' ('on the right leaf, on the right page'), the ablative case of 'rēctus' ('right, straight'), the term was first attested in English in 1814. Unlike verso, which specifically denotes the opposing left-hand page or the back of a leaf, or obverse, which is chiefly reserved for the principal face of a coin, recto is the broader, formal designation for the side meant to be encountered first. It is the crisp, unyielding surface a printer's form first strikes, the blank expectancy of a journal page awaiting its entry, and the dignified portrait on a sovereign's coin—the established face of order before the inevitable turn to the subordinate.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin rēctō foliō (“on the right leaf, on the right page”), the ablative case of the Latin rēctus (“right”). Compare versus (“turned”).
noun
- The front side of a flat object which is to be examined visually, as for reading, such as a sheet, leaf, coin or medal.
- The front side of a flat object which is to be examined visually, as for reading, such as a sheet, leaf, coin or medal.; The right-hand page of a book of a script which reads from left to right, usually having an odd page number.
- A writ of right.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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