What is the literal meaning of reciprocal?

Answer 1

Recurring in vicissitude; alternate., Done by each to the other; interchanging or interchanged; given and received; due from each to each; mutual; as, reciprocal love; reciprocal duties., Mutually interchangeable., Reflexive; -- applied to pronouns and verbs, but sometimes limited to such pronouns as express mutual action., Used to denote different kinds of mutual relation; often with reference to the substitution of reciprocals for given quantities. See the Phrases below., That which is reciprocal to another thing., The quotient arising from dividing unity by any quantity; thus, / is the reciprocal of 4; 1/(a +b) is the reciprocal of a + b. The reciprocal of a fraction is the fraction inverted, or the denominator divided by the numerator.