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The extinction of debts of which two persons are reciprocally debtors by the credits of which they are reciprocally creditors; the payment of a debt by a credit of equal amount; a set-off. Bouvier. Wharton.

A settlement by arbitration or by mutual consent reached by concession on both sides; a reciprocal abatement of extreme demands or rights, resulting in an agreement. But basely yielded upon compromise That which his noble ancestors achieved with blows. Shak. All government, indeed every human benefit and enjoyment, eve…

Conducting power; -- the reciprocal of resistance. A suggested unit is the mho, the reciprocal of the ohm.

Presenting themselves simultaneously and having reciprocal properties; -- frequently used in pure and applied mathematics with reference to two quantities, points, lines, axes, curves, etc. Conjugate axis of a hyperbola (Math.), the line through the center of the curve, perpendicular to the line through the two foci.…

conversus, p.p. of convertere. See Convert.] Turned about; reversed in order or relation; reciprocal; as, a converse proposition.

In a converse manner; with change of order or relation; reciprocally. J. S. Mill.

Capable of being exchanged or interchanged; reciprocal; interchangeable. So long as we are in the regions of nature, miraculous and improbable, miraculous and incredible, may be allowed to remain convertible terms. Trench.

To have reciprocal or mutual relations; to be mutually related. Doctrine and worship correlate as theory and practice. Tylor.

Reciprocal relation; corresponding similarity or parallelism of relation or law; capacity of being converted into, or of giving place to, one another, under certain conditions; as, the correlation of forces, or of zymotic diseases. Correlation of energy, the relation to one another of different forms of energy; -- usua…

Having or indicating a reciprocal relation. Father and son, prince and subject, stranger and citizen, are correlative terms. Hume.

Friendly intercourse; reciprocal exchange of civilities; especially, intercourse between persons by means of letters. Holding also good correspondence with the other great men in the state. Bacon. To facilitate correspondence between one part of London and another, was not originally one of the objects of the post offi…

accelerating of putrefaction is a subject of very universal inquiry; for corruption is a reciprocal to "generation". Bacon.

h it is wholly reflected, and no portion of it transmitted. The sine of this angle is the reciprocal of the refractive index of the medium. -- Critical philosophy, the metaphysical system of Kant; -- so called from his most important work, the "Critique of Pure Reason." - - Critical point (Physics), a certain temperat…

for joy, or of a scepter for a sword, and the like; also, the act of giving and receiving reciprocally; as, an exchange of civilities or views.

To hasten; to go in haste; -- also often with the reciprocal pronoun. [Rare, except in poetry] "My husband hies him home." Shak. The youth, returning to his mistress, hies. Dryden.

Have or have not; -- a familiar invitation to reciprocal drinking. Shak.

Not congruous; reciprocally disagreeing; not capable of harmonizing or readily assimilating; inharmonious; inappropriate; unsuitable; not fitting; inconsistent; improper; as, an incongruous remark; incongruous behavior, action, dress, etc. "Incongruous mixtures of opinions." I. Taylor. "Made up of incongruous parts." M…

Mutual or reciprocal action or influence; as, the interaction of the heart and lungs on each other.

To act reciprocally, so as to augment, diminish, or otherwise affect one another; -- said of waves, rays of light, heat, etc. See Interference, 2.

Connection by marriage; reciprocal marriage; giving and taking in marriage, as between two families, tribes, castes, or nations.