I. rə̇ˈsiprəkəl, rēˈ- adjective
Etymology: Latin reciprocus returning the same way, alternating (from — assumed — recus backward — from re- — + — assumed — procus forward, from pro- pro (I)) + English -al
1.
a. : inversely related : opposite
each flexor muscle which contracts has its reciprocal extensor muscle which operates in the reverse direction — A.E.Wier
b. : of, constituting, or resulting from paired crosses in which the form that supplies the male parent of the first cross supplies the female parent of the second cross and vice versa
a cross between a black Leghorn male and a white Leghorn female and one between a white Leghorn male and a black Leghorn female are reciprocal crosses
2.
a. : mutually existing : shared, felt, or shown by both sides
two congenial spirits united … by mutual confidence and reciprocal virtues — T.L.Peacock
reciprocal love
reciprocal understanding
b. : expressive of mutual action or relationship — used of verbs and especially of compound pronouns; compare reciprocal pronouns
3. : serving to reciprocate : consisting of or functioning as a return in kind
an unselfish friend who helped him without expecting any reciprocal benefit
4.
a. : corresponding to each other : being equivalent or complementary
agreed to extend reciprocal privileges to each other's citizens
reciprocal cultural missions
the public and private systems engage in reciprocal services — Albert Lepawsky
b. : marked by or based upon reciprocity
reciprocal trade agreements
Synonyms:
mutual , common : reciprocal describes an equivalence, balance, equal counteraction, equal return, or equal sharing
not a mere cooperation of distinct forces, but an extremely powerful reciprocal action, each in turn firing the other and fired by it — C.E.Montague
the connection between law and political theory has not been one-sided; it has been completely reciprocal — Huntington Cairns
mutual is likely to apply to feelings or actions shared by two, indicating either an accompanying reciprocity, equality, or interreaction or simply stressing the fact of a common experience or emotion
a devoted attachment and mutual admiration between aunt and niece — George Eliot
mutual obligation — on the part of the lord to protect his vassal against the violence of others, and on the vassal's part to make good the homage pledged by him — H.O.Taylor
sometimes mingles poetry and propaganda to their mutual disaster — J.L.Lowes
common conveys no suggestion of reciprocity between two parties or agencies; instead it indicates the fact of joint participation or possession among any number
death and other incidents of our common fate — M.R.Cohen
generally agreed that all men belong to the same species, that all were probably derived from the same ancestral stock, and that all share in a common patrimony — M.F.A.Montagu
looked at each other for one instant, as if each had in mind those few moments during which a certain moonlit scene was common to both — Thomas Hardy
II. noun
( -s )
1. : something that reciprocates or has a reciprocal relationship to something else ; especially : a reciprocal term, expression, or concept
freedom — or its reciprocal , the control of human behavior — B.F.Skinner
corruption is a reciprocal to generation — Francis Bacon
2. : a number that when multiplied by a given number gives one
4/3 is the reciprocal of 3/4
1/9 is the reciprocal of 9
3. : reciprocal exchange
III. noun
: multiplicative inverse herein