Adjacent Words

Rectify definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

REC'TIFY, v.t. [L. rectus, right, and facio, to make.]
1. To make right; to correct that which is wrong, erroneous or false; to amend; as, to rectify errors, mistakes or abuses; to rectify the will, the judgment, opinions; to rectify disorders.
2. In chimistry, to refine by repeated distiliation or sublimation, by which the fine parts of a substance are separated from the grosser; as, to rectify spirit or wine.
3. To rectify the globe, is to bring the sun's place in the ecliptic on the globe to the brass meridian.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: math: determine the length of; "rectify a curve"
2: reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; separate from extraneous matter or cleanse from impurities; "refine sugar" [syn: refine, rectify]
3: bring, lead, or force to abandon a wrong or evil course of life, conduct, and adopt a right one; "The Church reformed me"; "reform your conduct" [syn: reform, reclaim, regenerate, rectify]
4: set straight or right; "remedy these deficiencies"; "rectify the inequities in salaries"; "repair an oversight" [syn: rectify, remediate, remedy, repair, amend]
5: make right or correct; "Correct the mistakes"; "rectify the calculation" [syn: correct, rectify, right] [ant: falsify]
6: convert into direct current; "rectify alternating current"

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb (-fied; -fying) Etymology: Middle English rectifien, from Anglo-French rectifier, from Medieval Latin rectificare, from Latin rectus right — more at right Date: 14th century 1. to set right ; remedy 2. to purify (as alcohol) especially by repeated or fractional distillation 3. to correct by removing errors ; adjust <rectify the calendar> 4. to make (an alternating current) unidirectional Synonyms: see correct • rectification noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. (-ies, -ied) 1 adjust or make right; correct, amend. 2 purify or refine, esp. by repeated distillation. 3 find a straight line equal in length to (a curve). 4 convert (alternating current) to direct current. Derivatives: rectifiable adj. rectification n. Etymology: ME f. OF rectifier f. med.L rectificare f. L rectus right

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Rectify Rec"ti*fy (-f?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Rectified (-f?d); p. pr. & vb. n. Rectifying (-f?`?ng).] [F. rectifier, LL. rectificare; L. rectus right + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See Right, and -fy.] 1. To make or set right; to correct from a wrong, erroneous, or false state; to amend; as, to rectify errors, mistakes, or abuses; to rectify the will, the judgment, opinions; to rectify disorders. I meant to rectify my conscience. --Shak. This was an error of opinion which a conflicting opinion would have rectified. --Burke. 2. (Chem.) To refine or purify by repeated distillation or sublimation, by which the fine parts of a substance are separated from the grosser; as, to rectify spirit of wine. 3. (Com.) To produce ( as factitious gin or brandy) by redistilling low wines or ardent spirits (whisky, rum, etc.), flavoring substances, etc., being added.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(rectifies, rectifying, rectified) If you rectify something that is wrong, you change it so that it becomes correct or satisfactory. Only an act of Congress could rectify the situation... VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Correct, redress, mend, amend, emend, better, improve, reform, adjust, regulate, straighten, set right, make right. 2. (Chem.) Refine, purify.

Moby Thesaurus

accommodate, accommodate with, accord, adapt, adapt to, adjust, adjust to, agree with, ameliorate, amend, assimilate, assimilate to, atone, attune, be guided by, bend, blue-pencil, bolt, chime in with, clarify, clear, compensate, comply, comply with, compose, conform, coordinate, correct, correspond, cover, cure, cut to, decrassify, depurate, discipline, disentangle, distill, do penance, edit, edulcorate, elute, emend, emendate, equalize, essentialize, expiate, extend, extract, fall in with, fill up, filter, filtrate, fit, fix, flatten, follow, gear to, give and take, give satisfaction, go by, harmonize, homologate, homologize, improve, indemnify, key to, leach, lixiviate, make all square, make amends, make compensation, make conform, make good, make plumb, make right, make uniform, make up for, measure, meet, mend, mold, observe, pay back, pay reparations, percolate, proportion, purify, put in tune, put right, put straight, put to rights, rebuild, recense, recompense, reconcile, redact, redraft, redress, refine, regulate, remedy, remunerate, repair, repay, requite, retaliate, revamp, revise, rework, rewrite, right, rub off corners, screen, separate, set, set right, set straight, set to rights, set up, settle, shape, sieve, sift, similarize, sit up, smooth, spiritualize, square, stand up, straighten, straighten out, straighten up, strain, sublimate, sublime, suit, sync, synchronize, tailor, tally with, trim to, true, true up, try, tune, unbend, uncurl, unkink, unsnarl, winnow, work over, yield