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reciprocate

verb
/ɹɪˈsɪpɹəˌkeɪt/

Etymology

From Latin recīprocātus, perfect passive participle of recīprocō (“to move back and forth”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from reciprocus (“back an forth, reciprocal, alternating”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix), itself possibly from a phrase such as reque proque (“back and forth”), from re- (“back”), prō (“forwards”) and -que (“and”). See also reciprocal. Compare French réciproquer.

  1. borrowed from recīprocātus

Definitions

  1. To exchange two things, with both parties giving one thing and taking another thing.

    • The USTR isn't reciprocating actual tariffs. It's just placing the biggest tariffs on the countries running the biggest trade surpluses.

  2. To give something else in response (where the "thing" may also be abstract, a feeling or…

    To give something else in response (where the "thing" may also be abstract, a feeling or action) To make a reciprocal gift.

    • I gave them apples from my tree; they reciprocated with a pie and some apple jelly.
    • Nugget appreciates the generosity! Nugget will reciprocate with a Monstermon card!

  3. To move backwards and forwards, like a piston.

    • a reciprocating engine
    • One brawny smith the puffing bellows plies, / And draws and blows reciprocating air.
  4. ›+ 1 more definition

    1. To counter, retort or retaliate.

The neighborhood

Derived

reciprocatable, reciprocating, reciprocation, reciprocator, unreciprocate, unreciprocated

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at reciprocate. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

01reciprocate02gift03effort04motion05change06replace07repay08requite

A definitional loop anchored at reciprocate. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

8 hops · closes at reciprocate

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA