Part 120

2. (a) (Ch. of Eng.) A clergyman who has the charge and cure of a parish, and has the tithes, etc.; the clergyman of a parish where the tithes are not impropriate. See the Note under Vicar. Blackstone. (b) (Prot. Epis. Ch.) A clergyman in charge of a parish.

3. The head master of a public school. [Scot.]

4. The chief elective officer of some universities, as in France and Scotland; sometimes, the head of a college; as, the Rector of Exeter College, or of Lincoln College, at Oxford.

5. (R.C.CH.) The superior officer or chief of a convent or religious house; and among the Jesuits the superior of a house that is a seminary or college.

Rec"tor*al (-al), a. [CF. F. rectoral.] Pertaining to a rector or governor.

Rec"tor*ate (-?t), n. [LL. rectoratus: cf. F. rectorat.] The office, rank, or station of a rector; rectorship.

Rec"tor*ess, n. 1. A governess; a rectrix. Drayton.

2. The wife of a rector. Thackeray.

Rec*to"ri*al (r?k*t?"r?*al), a. Pertaining to a rector or a rectory; rectoral. Shipley.

Rec"tor*ship (r?k"t?r*sh?p), n. 1. Government; guidance. [Obs.] "The rectorship of judgment." Shak.

2. The office or rank of a rector; rectorate.

Rec"to*ry (-t?*r?), n.; pl. Rectories (-r&?;z). [Cf. OF. rectorie or rectorerie, LL. rectoria.] 1. The province of a rector; a parish church, parsonage, or spiritual living, with all its rights, tithes, and glebes.

2. A rector's mansion; a parsonage house.

Rec`to-u"ter*ine (-?"t?r*?n or *?n), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to both the rectum and the uterus.

Rec`to*vag"i*nal (r?k`t?*v?j"?*nal), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to both the rectum and the vagina.

Rec`to-ves"i*cal (-v?s"?*kal), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to both the rectum and the bladder.

Rec"tress (r?k"tr?s), n. A rectoress. B. Jonson.

||Rec"trix (-tr?ks), n.; pl. Rectrices (-tr&?;"s&?;z). [L., fem. of ||rector.] 1. A governess; a rectoress.

2. (Zoöl.) One of the quill feathers of the tail of a bird.

Rec"tum (-t?m), n. [NL. (sc. intestinum), fr. L. rectus straight. See Right.] (Anat.) The terminal part of the large intestine; -- so named because supposed by the old anatomists to be straight. See Illust. under Digestive.

||Rec"tus (-t?s), n.; pl. Recti (-t&?;). [NL., fr. L. regere to keep ||straight.] (Anat.) A straight muscle; as, the recti of the eye.

Rec`u*ba"tion (r?k`?*b?"sh?n), n. [L. recubare to lie upon the back.] Recumbence. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Re*cule" (r?*k?l"), v. i. To recoil. [Obs.] Spenser.

{ Re*cule" (r?*k?l"), Re*cule"ment (- ment), } n. [F. reculement.] Recoil. [Obs.]

Re*cumb" (-k?m"), v. i. [L. recumbere; pref. re- back + cumbere (in comp.), akin to cubare to lie down.] To lean; to recline; to repose. [Obs.] J. Allen (1761).

Re*cum"bence (r?*k?m"bens), n. The act of leaning, resting, or reclining; the state of being recumbent.

Re*cum"ben*cy (-ben*s?), n. Recumbence.

Re*cum"bent (-bet), a. [L. recumbens, -entis, p. pr. of recumbere. See Recumb, Incumbent.] Leaning; reclining; lying; as, the recumbent posture of the Romans at their meals. Hence, figuratively; Resting; inactive; idle. -- Re*cum"bent*ly, adv.