reciprocal

Main Entry:: ¹re·cip·ro·cal
Pronunciation:: \ri-ˈsi-prə-kəl\
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 versa2: shared, felt, or shown by both sides3: 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-)lē\ adverb

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