# respective

Pronunciation: say "ri-SPEK-tiv" /ɹɪˈspɛktɪv/

## Adjective

1. Relating to each of several particular people or things separately, taken one by one.
   - Simple: Belonging to each separate person or thing, one for each.
   - _The committee members presented the budgets for their respective departments._
   - _At the ceremony, the winners stood beside their respective trophies._

## Adjective

2. Defined by reference or comparison to something else, and therefore relative rather than fixed or absolute. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Judged by comparison with something else rather than fixed on its own.
   - _To the old philosophers, motion was respective, meaningful only against a fixed point._
   - _He argued that all such measures were respective, depending wholly on the observer's position._
3. Attentive and cautious, noticing things carefully and keeping a wary eye on one's surroundings. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Paying close attention and being careful about what is happening.
4. Showing respect and dutiful regard toward others in word and manner. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Showing respect and proper regard toward other people.
5. Possessing a quality or appearance that naturally awakens respect in those who see it. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Having the kind of quality that makes people feel respect.

## Origin

Borrowed from Medieval Latin "respectivus," from Latin "respectus"; it can also be analyzed as "respect" plus the suffix "-ive."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/respective (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).