rectus

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin rēctus (“straight, upright”), clipping of mūsculus rēctus (“straight muscle”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛk.təs/

Noun

rectus (plural recti)

1. (anatomy) Any of several straight muscles in various parts of the body, as of the abdomen, thigh, eye etc.

   Hyponyms: rectus abdominis, rectus capitis anterior, rectus capitis lateralis, rectus capitis posterior major, rectus capitis posterior minor, rectus femoris

   1. (anatomy) Ellipsis of rectus abdominis.
   2. (anatomy) Any of a number of muscles controlling the movement of the eyeball.

      Hyponyms: superior rectus, inferior rectus, medial rectus, lateral rectus

Related terms

• casus rectus
• diastasis recti
• gyrus rectus
• rectus casus
• rectus muscle

 

References

• “rectus”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “rectus”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Anagrams

• Crutes, Curets, Custer, cruets, cruset, curest, curets, eructs, recuts, truces

Latin

Etymology

Perfect passive participle of regō (“to keep or lead straight, to guide”). Corresponds to Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtós (“having moved in a straight line”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten, direct”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈreːk.tus/, [ˈreːkt̪ʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈrek.tus/, [ˈrɛkt̪us]

Participle

rēctus (feminine rēcta, neuter rēctum, comparative rēctior, superlative rēctissimus, adverb rēctē); first/second-declension participle

1. led straight along, drawn in a straight line, straight, upright.

   Synonym: prōrsus

   • Caesar, de Bello Gallico VII, 23:

     Quae rectis lineis suos ordines servant

     Which preserve their order in straight lines

2. (in general) right, correct, proper, appropriate, befitting.
3. (in particular) morally right, correct, lawful, just, virtuous, noble, good, proper, honest.

   Antonyms: prāvus, iniūrius

   • 405 CE, Jerome, Vulgate Proverbs.12.15:

     Via stultī rēcta in oculīs eius; quī autem sapiēns est audit cōnsilia.

     The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that is wise hearkeneth unto counsels. (Douay-Rheims trans., Challoner rev.: 1752 CE)

Inflection

First/second-declension adjective.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	rēctus	rēcta	rēctum		rēctī	rēctae	rēcta
Genitive	rēctī	rēctae	rēctī		rēctōrum	rēctārum	rēctōrum
Dative	rēctō		rēctō		rēctīs
Accusative	rēctum	rēctam	rēctum		rēctōs	rēctās	rēcta
Ablative	rēctō	rēctā	rēctō		rēctīs
Vocative	rēcte	rēcta	rēctum		rēctī	rēctae	rēcta

Descendants

Descendants of rectus in other languages

• Catalan: recte
• → English: recta, rectus, recto
• Friulian: ret
• Italian: retto, ritto, → recto
• Old Galician-Portuguese: reyto
• → Portuguese: reto
• Spanish: recto

References

• “rectus”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “rectus”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• rectus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• rectus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • (ambiguous) in a straight line: recta (regione, via); in directum
    
  • (ambiguous) you were right in...; you did right to..: recte, bene fecisti quod...
    
  • (ambiguous) a good conscience: conscientia recta, recte facti (factorum), virtutis, bene actae vitae, rectae voluntatis
    
  • (ambiguous) to congratulate oneself on one's clear conscience: conscientia recte factorum erigi
    
  • (ambiguous) quite rightly: et recte (iure, merito)
    
  • (ambiguous) quite rightly: et recte (iure) quidem
    
  • (ambiguous) quite rightly: recte, iure id quidem