Both Uses of
reciprocate
in
Moby Dick
- Nor is this any very easy matter; for in his rear is the immense projecting steering oar hitting him now and then in the small of his back, the after-oar reciprocating by rapping his knees in front.†
Chpt 52-54 *reciprocating = giving in return
- poor Tashtego—like the twin reciprocating bucket in a veritable well, dropped head-foremost down into this great Tun of Heidelburgh, and with a horrible oily gurgling, went clean out of sight!†
Chpt 76-78
Definitions:
-
(1)
(reciprocate) to give in return -- such as invitations, gifts, actions, or feelings
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, reciprocate can refer to alternating the direction of something as in a reciprocating saw.