recto

noun

rec·​to ˈrek-(ˌ)tō How to pronounce recto (audio)
plural rectos
1
: the side of a leaf (as of a manuscript) that is to be read first
2
: a right-hand page compare verso

Examples of recto in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The one Milo was bent over—folio 855 recto, with its design for a parabolic swing bridge—rested on the glass of an LED light box. Cullen Murphy, The Atlantic, 7 July 2023 On the recto, the Angel Gabriel seems to float down to Mary in the cloud-like oval and, on the verso, the risen Christ ascends from the same spot toward heaven. Judith H. Dobrzynski, WSJ, 12 Mar. 2022 The hole on the recto was filled in and papered over. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 10 Dec. 2021 Thistlewood did not, however, divide his diaries into a recto and a verso side but used both sides of his diary notebooks to write daily entries in which philosophical reflections were mixed with his activities as a slave owner. Zadie Smith, The New York Review of Books, 8 Oct. 2020

Word History

Etymology

New Latin recto (folio) on the right-hand leaf

First Known Use

1810, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of recto was in 1810

Dictionary Entries Near recto

Cite this Entry

“Recto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recto. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.

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