Adjacent Words

Erect definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ERECT', a. [L. erectus, from erigo, to set upright; e and rego, to stretch or make straight, right, rectus. See Right.]
1. Upright, or in a perpendicular posture; as, he stood erect.
2. Directed upward.
And suppliant hands, to heaven erect.
3. Upright and firm; bold; unshaken.
Let no vain fear thy generous ardor tame;
But stand erect.
4. Raised; stretched; intent; vigorous; as a vigilant and erect attention of mind in prayer.
5. Stretched; extended.
6. In botany, an erect stem is one which is without support from twining, or nearly perpendicular; an erect leaf is one which grows close to the stem; an erect flower has its aperture directed upwards.
ERECT', v.t. To raise and set in an upright or perpendicular direction, or nearly such; as, to erect a pole or flag-staff.
To erect a perpendicular, is to set or form one line on another at right angles.
1. To raise, as a building; to set up; to build; as, to erect a house or temple; to erect a fort.
2. To set up or establish anew; to found; to form; as, to erect a kingdom or commonwealth; to erect a new system or theory.
3. To elevate; to exalt.
I am far from pretending to infallibility; that would be to erect myself into an apostle.
4. To raise; to excite; to animate; to encourage.
Why should not hope
As much erect our thoughts, as fear deject them?
5. To raise a consequence from premises. [Little used.]
Malebranche erects this proposition.
6. To extend; to distend.
ERECT', v.i. To rise upright.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: upright in position or posture; "an erect stature"; "erect flower stalks"; "for a dog, an erect tail indicates aggression"; "a column still vertical amid the ruins"; "he sat bolt upright" [syn: erect, vertical, upright] [ant: unerect]
2: of sexual organs; stiff and rigid [syn: tumid, erect] v
1: construct, build, or erect; "Raise a barn" [syn: raise, erect, rear, set up, put up] [ant: dismantle, level, pull down, rase, raze, take down, tear down]
2: cause to rise up [syn: rear, erect]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Latin erectus, past participle of erigere to erect, from e- + regere to lead straight, guide — more at right Date: 14th century 1. a. vertical in position; also not spread out or decumbent <an erect plant stem> <columns still erect in the ruins> b. standing up or out from the body <erect hairs> c. characterized by firm or rigid straightness in bodily posture <an erect bearing> 2. archaic directed upward 3. obsolete alert, watchful 4. being in a state of physiological erection • erectly adverb • erectness noun II. transitive verb Date: 15th century 1. a. (1) to put up by the fitting together of materials or parts ; build (2) to fix in an upright position (3) to cause to stand up or stand out b. archaic to direct upward c. to change (an image) from an inverted to a normal position 2. to elevate in status 3. set up, establish 4. obsolete encourage, embolden 5. to draw or construct (as a perpendicular or figure) upon a given base • erectable adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. & v. --adj. 1 upright, vertical. 2 (of the penis, clitoris, or nipples) enlarged and rigid, esp. in sexual excitement. 3 (of hair) bristling, standing up from the skin. --v.tr. 1 raise; set upright. 2 build. 3 establish (erect a theory). Derivatives: erectable adj. erectly adv. erectness n. erector n. Etymology: ME f. L erigere erect- set up (as E-, regere direct)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Erect E*rect", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Erected; p. pr. & vb. n. Erecting.] 1. To raise and place in an upright or perpendicular position; to set upright; to raise; as, to erect a pole, a flagstaff, a monument, etc. 2. To raise, as a building; to build; to construct; as, to erect a house or a fort; to set up; to put together the component parts of, as of a machine. 3. To lift up; to elevate; to exalt; to magnify. That didst his state above his hopes erect. --Daniel. I, who am a party, am not to erect myself into a judge. --Dryden. 4. To animate; to encourage; to cheer. It raiseth the dropping spirit, erecting it to a loving complaisance. --Barrow. 5. To set up as an assertion or consequence from premises, or the like. ``To erect conclusions.'' --Sir T. Browne. ``Malebranche erects this proposition.'' --Locke. 6. To set up or establish; to found; to form; to institute. ``To erect a new commonwealth.'' --Hooker. Erecting shop (Mach.), a place where large machines, as engines, are put together and adjusted. Syn: To set up; raise; elevate; construct; build; institute; establish; found.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Erect E*rect", a. [L. erectus, p. p. of erigere to erect; e out + regere to lead straight. See Right, and cf. Alert.] 1. Upright, or having a vertical position; not inverted; not leaning or bent; not prone; as, to stand erect. Two of far nobler shape, erect and tall. --Milton. Among the Greek colonies and churches of Asia, Philadelphia is still erect -- a column of ruins. --Gibbon. 2. Directed upward; raised; uplifted. His piercing eyes, erect, appear to view Superior worlds, and look all nature through. --Pope. 3. Bold; confident; free from depression; undismayed. But who is he, by years Bowed, but erect in heart? --Keble. 4. Watchful; alert. Vigilant and erect attention of mind. --Hooker. 5. (Bot.) Standing upright, with reference to the earth's surface, or to the surface to which it is attached. 6. (Her.) Elevated, as the tips of wings, heads of serpents, etc.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Erect E*rect", v. i. To rise upright. [Obs.] By wet, stalks do erect. --Bacon.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(erects, erecting, erected) 1. If people erect something such as a building, bridge, or barrier, they build it or create it. (FORMAL) Opposition demonstrators have erected barricades in roads leading to the parliament building... The building was erected in 1900-1901... We all unconsciously erect barriers against intimacy. = construct VERB: V n, V n, V n 2. If you erect a system, a theory, or an institution, you create it. Japanese proprietors are erecting a complex infrastructure of political influence throughout America... He erected a new doctrine of precedent. VERB: V n, V n 3. People or things that are erect are straight and upright. Stand reasonably erect, your arms hanging naturally... ADJ

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Set up, place upright, set upright. 2. Raise, build, construct. 3. Exalt, elevate, magnify. 4. Institute, found, form, plant, establish. 5. (Poetical.) cheer, animate, inspirit, enliven, encourage. II. a. 1. Upright, standing. 2. Elevated, turned upward. 3. Bold, undaunted, undismayed, unterrified, firm, unshaken.

Moby Thesaurus

Christian, aggrandize, assemble, blameless, bolt upright, boost, build, buoy up, cast, cast up, clean, compose, compound, concoct, construct, create, creditable, decent, devise, dignify, distinguish, downright, elaborate, elevate, elevated, ennoble, erectile, escalate, establish, estimable, ethical, evolve, exalted, extrude, fabricate, fair, fashion, forge, form, formulate, found, frame, fudge together, full of integrity, get up, glorify, good, heave, heft, heighten, heist, high, high-minded, high-principled, highly respectable, hike, hoick, hoist, hold up, honest, honor, honorable, house-proud, immaculate, independent, indite, institute, inviolate, irreproachable, jerk up, just, knock up, law-abiding, law-loving, law-revering, levitate, lift, lift up, lifted, lob, loft, lofty, magnify, make, make up, manly, manufacture, mature, mold, moral, noble, on stilts, organize, patch together, perk up, perpendicular, piece together, pitch, plumb, prefabricate, prepare, prideful, principled, produce, proud, proud as Lucifer, proud-blooded, proud-looking, proud-minded, proud-spirited, proudful, proudhearted, pure, purse-proud, put together, put up, raise, raise aloft, raise up, raised, rampant, rear, rear aloft, rear up, rearing, remove, reputable, respectable, right, right-minded, righteous, rise, run up, self-confident, self-esteeming, self-reliant, self-respecting, self-sufficient, set up, shape, sky, spotless, stainless, stand upright, stand-up, standing, standing up, sterling, stick up, stiff-necked, stilted, straight, straight-up, sublime, throw up, true-dealing, true-devoted, true-disposing, true-souled, true-spirited, truehearted, unblemished, uncorrupt, uncorrupted, undefiled, unimpeachable, unspotted, unstained, unsullied, untarnished, up, upbuoy, upcast, upend, upended, upflung, upheave, uphoist, uphold, uplift, uplifted, upraise, upraised, uprear, upreared, upright, uprighteous, upstanding, upthrow, upthrown, vertical, virtuous, whomp up, worthy, write, yeomanly