n.
Pronunciation: ri- ' si-pr ə -k ə l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin reciprocus returning the same way, alternating
Date: 1570
1 a : inversely related : OPPOSITE b : of, constituting, or resulting from paired crosses in which the kind that supplies the male parent of the first cross supplies the female parent of the second cross and vice versa
2 : shared, felt, or shown by both sides
3 : serving to reciprocate : consisting of or functioning as a return in kind <the reciprocal devastation of nuclear war>
4 a : mutually corresponding <agreed to extend reciprocal privileges to each other's citizens> b : marked by or based on reciprocity < reciprocal trade agreements>
– re · cip · ro · cal · ly \ -k( ə -)l ē \ adverb