recto

See also: recto-

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin rēctō foliō (“on the right leaf, on the right page”), the ablative case of the Latin rēctus (“right”). Compare versus (“turned”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛk.toʊ/

Noun

recto (plural rectos)

1. The front side of a flat object which is to be examined visually, as for reading, such as a sheet, leaf, coin or medal.

   Synonym: front

   Antonyms: verso, flipside

   1. (printing) The right-hand page of a book of a script which reads from left to right, usually having an odd page number.

      Antonyms: verso, reverso

2. (law) A writ of right.

Translations

The front side of a flat object

• Czech: líc (cs)
• French: recto (fr) m
• Spanish: anverso (es) m

The right-hand page of a book

• Bulgarian: дясна страница (djasna stranica)
• French: recto (fr) m
• Greek: δεξιά σελίδα f (dexiá selída)
• Ido: averso (io)
• Russian: правая страни́ца f (pravaja straníca), лицевая сторона́ f (licevaja storoná)
• Ukrainian: лицьова сторона f (lycjova storona)

See also

• recto-

Anagrams

• Certo, Corte, ERCOT, torce, Ector

Asturian

Adjective

recto

1. neuter of rectu

French

Pronunciation

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

recto m (plural rectos)

1. recto

   Antonym: verso

Further reading

• “recto”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin [​foliō​] rēctō (literally “on the front of the sheet”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈrɛk.to/
• Rhymes: -ɛkto
• Hyphenation: rèc‧to

Noun

recto m (invariable)

1. recto (front side of a flat object)

   Antonym: verso

Further reading

• “recto”, in Vocabolario Treccani on line (in Italian), Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2026

Anagrams

• certo, corte, torce

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈreːk.toː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈrɛk.to]

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ-

Proto-Indo-European *-tós

Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtós

Proto-Italic *rektos

Latin rēctus

Proto-Indo-European *-éad

Proto-Italic *-ōd

Latin -ō

Latin rēctō

From rēctus (“straight”) + -ō.

Adverb

rēctō (not comparable)

1. directly

Etymology 2

See rēctus.

Participle

rēctō

1. dative/ablative masculine/neuter singular of rēctus

References

• “recto”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “recto”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Old Irish

Noun

recto

1. alternative spelling of rechto: genitive singular/dual of rect

Mutation

Mutation of recto

radical	lenition	nasalization
recto also rrecto in h-prothesis environments	recto pronounced with /ɾʲ-/	recto also rrecto

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Portuguese

Adjective

recto (feminine recta, masculine plural rectos, feminine plural rectas)

1. pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1990 in Portugal) of reto; still used where the agreement hasn’t come into effect and may occur as a sporadic misspelling

Noun

recto m (plural rectos)

1. pre-reform spelling (used until 1943 in Brazil and 1990 in Portugal) of reto; still used where the agreement hasn’t come into effect and may occur as a sporadic misspelling

Further reading

• “recto”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “recto”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French recto or Latin recto.

Noun

recto n (uncountable)

1. recto

Declension

singular only	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	recto	rectoul
genitive-dative	recto	rectoului
vocative	rectoule

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈreɡto/ [ˈreɣ̞.t̪o]
• Rhymes: -eɡto
• Syllabification: rec‧to

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin rectus, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtós (“straightened, right”).

Adjective

recto (feminine recta, masculine plural rectos, feminine plural rectas)

1. straight (not crooked, curly, or bent; having a constant direction throughout its length)

   Synonyms: derecho, rectilíneo

   Antonyms: torcido, curvo

   línea recta ― straight line

   Sigue recto.

   Go straight ahead.

   Estad rectos.

   Stay straight.

   El perro está recto.

   The dog is straight.

2. honest, honorable, upright, righteous, just, fair

   Synonyms: justo, íntegro, honesto, honrado

3. literal (exactly as stated; read or understood without interpretation)

   Synonym: literal

   Antonym: figurativo

4. (geometry) right (of an angle, measuring 90 degrees)

   ángulo recto ― right angle

5. (Canary Islands) stern, authoritarian, inflexible

   Synonyms: severo, autoritario, inflexible, estricto

Derived terms

• ángulo recto

Related terms

• correcto
• directo
• recta
• rectitud

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin rectum (intestinum).

Noun

recto m (plural rectos)

1. (anatomy) rectum (the terminal part of the large intestine)
2. (anatomy) rectus

Derived terms

• músculo recto
• rectal
• recto abdominal

Further reading

• “recto”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• “recto”, in Diccionario Básico de Canarismos [Basic Dictionary of Canarianisms] (in Spanish), Canarian Academy of the Language [Spanish: Academia Canaria de La Lengua], 2010

Anagrams

• cetro
• corte
• corté
• terco
• troce
• trocé