reciprocate
re·ci·pro·cate/ɹɪˈsɪpɹəˌkeɪt/verb
reciprocate is spelled R-E-C-I-P-R-O-C-A-T-E: 11 letters and 4 syllables (re·ci·pro·cate). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, reciprocate means “To exchange two things, with both parties giving one thing and taking another thing” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in reciprocate?
| Letters | 11: R-E-C-I-P-R-O-C-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: re·ci·pro·cate |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,943rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is reciprocate?
Reciprocate appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,943rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce reciprocate?
- /ɹɪˈsɪpɹəˌkeɪt/
Reciprocate has 4 syllables, split re·ci·pro·cate in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-reciprocate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of reciprocate
- reciprocates present, singular, he/she/it
- reciprocating participle, present
- reciprocated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does reciprocate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To exchange two things, with both parties giving one thing and taking another thing.
- 2
To give something else in response (where the "thing" may also be abstract, a feeling or action) To make a reciprocal gift.
I gave them apples from my tree; they reciprocated with a pie and some apple jelly.
- 3
To move backwards and forwards, like a piston.
a reciprocating engine
- 4
To counter, retort or retaliate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Reciprocate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | donner en retour, réciproquer, rendre la pareille |
| Portuguese | reciprocar, trocar , retribuir , alternar , devolver |
| Spanish | reciprocar, corresponder , recompensar |
| German | erwidern |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does reciprocate come from?
From Latin recīprocātus, perfect passive participle of recīprocō (“to move back and forth”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from reciprocus (“back an forth, reciprocal, alternating”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix), itself possibly from a phrase such as reque proque (“back and forth”), from re- (“back”), prō (“forwards”) and -que (“and”). See also reciprocal. Compare French réciproquer.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).