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 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-)lē\ adverb