Word
rectify
Phoneticsrec·ti·fy
US/ˈɹɛktəˌfaɪ/
UK/ɹˈɛktɪfˌaɪ/
Definitions
01to correct a mistake
v. to fix a mistake or a problem so that things are correct again.
v. to remedy or set right an undesirable situation, error, or defect.
“The company promised to rectify the error on my bill immediately.”
“The management team met urgently to discuss how to rectify the damage caused by the recent data breach.”
Formal
Usage
Transitive; always takes a direct object representing the problem or error.
02electronics
v. to change an electric current from one that flows back and forth to one that flows in one direction.
v. to convert alternating current (AC) into direct current (DC).
“A diode is used to rectify the current in the power supply.”
“The circuit requires a bridge rectifier to efficiently rectify the high-voltage AC input into a stable DC output for the sensitive components.”
Technical
Usage
Used primarily in electrical engineering contexts.
Synonyms
Antonyms
03chemistry
v. to make a liquid pure by heating it and collecting the vapour.
v. to purify or refine a substance, especially a spirit or liquid, by repeated distillation.
“The alcohol must be rectified several times to reach the required purity.”
“The laboratory technician was tasked to rectify the crude extract to ensure no volatile impurities remained in the final solution.”
Technical
Usage
Often used in the production of spirits or industrial chemicals.
Antonyms
04mathematics
v. to find the exact length of a curved line.
v. to determine the length of a curve between two specific points.
“The students learned how to rectify a curve using calculus.”
“The professor demonstrated the integration techniques required to rectify the arc length of a complex parabola.”
Technical · Formal
Teaching tip
This sense is highly specialized and rarely encountered outside of advanced mathematics.
Real-World Examples
“If after 60 days the problem is not rectified, the people can sue.” “You are an important bridge and have rectified the situation whenever we have a crisis in our relations with the US.” Etymology
From Middle English rectifien, from Anglo-Norman rectifiier, rectefier (“to make straight”), from Medieval Latin rēctificō (“to make right”), from Latin rēctus (“straight”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/rectify