English Dictionary — Definitions & Meanings

reciprocity

noun

The practice of exchanging things with someone for mutual benefit, so that a favour, kindness or concession is returned in kind.

recit

noun

A brief piece of fiction.

recital

noun

A performance, especially of music or poetry, given by one performer or a small group.

recitation

noun

The act of saying a memorized piece of writing aloud in front of others.

recite

verb

To say a piece of writing aloud from memory, often to an audience.

reciting

noun

The act of saying something aloud from memory; a recitation.

reck

verb

To pay attention to someone or something and treat them as important.

reckful

adj

Paying close attention to things and acting with caution.

reckfulness

noun

The quality of being careful and paying close attention.

reckless

adj

Acting without thinking about danger or consequences; carelessly rash.

recklessly

adv

In a way that ignores danger or likely consequences.

recklessness

noun

The quality of acting without regard for danger or consequences.

reckon

verb

To think or suppose something, often used informally.

reckoning

noun

The act of calculating or working something out.

reclaim

verb

To get something back that was lost, taken, or given up.

reclaimed

adj

Recovered and made usable again, especially materials salvaged for reuse.

Reclaiming

name

A tradition within modern Wicca and neopaganism, founded in California in the 1980s, associated with feminist and earth-based spirituality.

reclamation

noun

The process of making land fit for use again, especially by draining or clearing it.

recline

verb

To make something lean or tip backwards.

reclining

adj

Able to be tilted back into a more horizontal, relaxed position.

recluse

adj

Living apart from others; withdrawn from society.

reclusive

adj

Preferring to live alone, away from other people; withdrawn.

recognisable

adj

Able to be identified or known from previous experience; British spelling of "recognizable."

recognise

verb

The standard British spelling of 'recognize', other than the Oxford spelling style.

recognised

adj

The usual British English spelling of 'recognized', other than in Oxford style.

recognition

noun

The act of identifying someone or something as already known.

recognitive

adj

Relating to the act of recognising something.

recognitory

adj

Relating to recognition in a general sense.

recognizable

adj

Able to be identified or known from previous experience.

recognizance

noun

A legal promise made to a court that a person will appear when required and behave lawfully, often used as a condition of release.

recognizant

adj

Relating to a recognizance.

recognize

verb

To identify someone or something as already known from a previous encounter.

recognized

adj

Widely accepted or acknowledged as valid, official, or distinguished.

recoil

verb

To jerk or pull back suddenly, especially from fear, disgust, or shock.

recollect

verb

To bring a past memory back to mind; to remember, often with some effort.

recollection

noun

A memory of something from the past.

recombine

verb

To put things back together, often arranging the parts differently from before.

recommend

verb

To suggest that someone or something is good or suitable, often based on personal experience.

recommendation

noun

A suggestion that something is good, suitable, or worth trying.

recommendatory

adj

Relating to a recommendation.

recommended

adj

Suggested as good, suitable, or advisable.

recompensation

noun

Another term for compensation.

recompense

noun

Payment or reward given in return for something done, lost, or suffered.

recon

noun

Reconnaissance — the act of scouting an area to gather information, especially in a military context.

reconcile

verb

To restore a friendly relationship between people after a disagreement.

reconciliation

noun

The restoration of friendly relations between people or groups who have been in conflict.

recondite

adj

Hard to understand and not widely known.

reconditeness

noun

The quality of being difficult to understand or little known.

recondition

verb

To repair something so that it works again or looks close to new.

reconditioned

adj

Repaired and restored to good working order.

reconditioning

noun

The process of repairing something so it works well again.

reconfigure

verb

To arrange or set something up differently, especially a system, machine, or software.

reconfirm

verb

To confirm something a second time, making it more certain.

reconnaissance

noun

The act of exploring or observing an area to gather information, especially before military action.

reconnect

verb

To connect something again, or to connect it in a new way.

reconnoitering

noun

A scouting mission to check out enemy territory or positions.

reconnoitre

verb

To explore an area, often enemy territory, in order to gather information.

reconnoitring

noun

An act of scouting an area to gather information.

reconsider

verb

To think about a decision or matter again, often to see if it should change.

reconsideration

noun

The process of thinking about something again, or the thing that has been thought over again.

reconstitute

verb

To build or form something again, possibly in a new way.

reconstitution

noun

The process of building something again, or the result of doing so.

reconstruct

verb

To build something again after it was damaged or destroyed.

reconstructed

adj

Rebuilt or reassembled after being damaged or taken apart.

reconstruction

noun

The process of rebuilding something, or the rebuilt result.

reconstructive

adj

Involving the rebuilding or repair of something, especially body tissue.

reconstrue

verb

To interpret something again, or differently.

reconvene

verb

To meet again after a break or pause.

reconvert

verb

To change something back to how it was before.

record

noun

A written or stored account of information, kept for future reference.

recorded

adj

Captured and stored in some permanent form, such as audio, video, or writing.

recorder

noun

A simple woodwind instrument played by blowing into a mouthpiece, common in school music classes.

recording

noun

Something (sound, video, etc.) that has been captured and stored.

recordkeeping

noun

The work of making, gathering and organising official records, often for a business or government.

recount

verb

To tell a story or describe events in detail.

recounting

noun

An occasion when someone tells the story of events that took place.

recoup

verb

To get back money that was spent or lost.

recourse

noun

An option to turn to for help, especially when other options have failed.

recover

verb

To get better after being ill, injured, or upset.

recovering

noun

The process of getting better or getting something back.

recovery

noun

A return to a normal or better condition after illness, damage, or difficulty.

recreant

adj

Having conceded defeat and given in; beaten.

recreate

verb

To make something happen or exist again, copying an original.

recreation

noun

An activity done for enjoyment or relaxation rather than work.

recreational

adj

Relating to activities done for fun or relaxation, not for work or necessity.

recrudesce

verb

To start happening again after a time when it had stopped or calmed down.

recruit

noun

A person newly enlisted in the military, or newly hired somewhere.

recruiting

noun

The process of finding and enrolling new members, soldiers, or employees.

recruitment

noun

The process of finding and hiring people for jobs or enlisting them into an organization.

rectal

adj

Relating to, or given through, the rectum.

rectangle

noun

A four-sided shape with four right angles, where opposite sides are equal and parallel.

rectangular

adj

Shaped like a rectangle, with four right-angled corners.

rectification

noun

The act of putting something right or correcting it.

rectify

verb

To correct a mistake or fix a problem.

rectilinear

adj

Arranged or moving along a straight line.

rectitude

noun

The quality of being straight, with no bends or curves.

rector

noun

A clergy member in charge of a parish, especially in the Anglican or Catholic Church.

rectorial

noun

The activities that take place when a new rector is chosen.

rectory

noun

The house where a rector or parish priest lives.

rectrix

noun

A woman who runs or heads an institution; a female governess.

rectum

noun

The final section of the large intestine, where waste is stored before leaving the body.

recumbent

adjective

Lying down or reclining.

recuperate

verb

To recover strength or health after illness, injury, or exhaustion.

recuperation

noun

The slow process of getting better after being ill.

recur

verb

If an event or situation happens again, often more than once.

recurrence

noun

The return of something that happened before, especially a symptom or problem.

recurrent

adj

Happening again and again.

recurring

adj

Happening repeatedly or coming back again and again.

recursion

noun

The fact of happening again.

recursive

adj

Referring back to, or depending on, itself.

recursivity

noun

The state of being recursive.

recusancy

noun

Stubborn refusal to do or accept something.

recusant

noun

(history) A person who would not attend Church of England services from the 1500s to the early 1800s, whether a Catholic or a dissenting Protestant.

recusation

noun

(law) The removal of a judge or jury from a case because they might be biased.

recusative

adj

Showing refusal or denial; going against what is usual.

recusatory

adj

(law) Containing a damaging false statement, or a request to remove a judge from a case.

recuse

verb

To step aside from a decision or case because of a conflict of interest.

recycle

verb

To process waste materials so they can be used again.

recycled

adj

Made from materials that have already been used and processed again.

recycling

noun

The process of collecting and reprocessing waste materials for reuse.

red

adj

Having the color of blood, ripe strawberries, or a stop light.

red flag

noun

A sign that something is wrong or dangerous, especially an early warning about a person's behaviour or about a situation you are considering entering.

red herring

noun

Something introduced into an argument, investigation or story that draws attention away from the real issue, whether by accident or on purpose.

red screen

noun

A red backdrop occasionally used for chroma-key compositing instead of the more common green or blue, chosen when a subject is wearing green or blue clothing, has blue-toned hair, or the scene is shot at night.

redact

verb

To hide or take out certain parts of a document while keeping the rest.

redacted

adj

Edited to remove or black out sensitive or confidential information.

redbird

noun

Any of a number of unrelated American songbirds with red feathers.

redbreast

noun

A name for several different birds that each have a red chest.

redcap

noun

A member of the military police in the British army.

redcliffe

name

A district of Bristol, England immediately south of the River Avon

redden

verb

To turn red or a deeper shade of red.

reddening

noun

The process of turning red or a deeper red.

Redder

adj

Comparative form of red; more red than something else.

Reddick

name

An English surname.

Reddington

name

An English surname, likely originating from a lost place name in England.

reddish

adj

Somewhat red in color; tinged with red.

reddishness

noun

How reddish something is.

reddition

noun

(law) The act of giving something back, or surrendering it.

Reddy

adjective

Somewhat red in colour.

redecorate

verb

To give a room or building a new look by changing its paint, furnishings, or decor.

redeem

verb

To exchange a voucher, points, or a bond for cash or its stated value.

redeemed

adjective

Having been saved, forgiven, or restored to good standing.

redeemer

noun

A person who saves or rescues someone, especially from a bad situation, debt, or wrongdoing.

redeeming

adjective

Making up for otherwise negative qualities.

redefine

verb

To define something again, or in a new and different way.

redemption

noun

The act of making up for past mistakes or wrongdoing and restoring one's reputation.

redemptioner

noun

Historically, an immigrant who paid for their journey to America by agreeing to work as an indentured servant.

redemptor

noun

Someone who redeems others, a term especially used for Jesus.

redemptorist

noun

A member of a Roman Catholic religious order dedicated to Jesus as the Redeemer, founded in 1732.

redemptory

adj

Given as a payment to free someone, or helping to set someone free.