reciprocity
noun
Reciprocity — the formal principle that exchange should run both ways
Definition
Mutual exchange of commercial or other privileges
In depth
Reciprocity is the mutual exchange of commercial or other privileges, the formal principle that favors, rights, or benefits extended by one party should be matched in kind by the other. The word carries more institutional and legal weight than its near-synonyms, often invoked in trade agreements, professional licensing, and diplomacy.
Origin
The word descends from Latin reciprocus, alternating or returning, the same root behind 'reciprocation.' Its prominence in anthropology owes much to twentieth-century studies of gift-giving in traditional societies, which identified reciprocity as a near-universal social principle binding communities together through cycles of mutual obligation.
Usage examples
"The treaty established reciprocity between the two nations' professional licensing boards."
"Anthropologists have long studied reciprocity as one of the most fundamental organizing principles of human societies."
"The favor was extended in the quiet expectation of reciprocity, though none was ever explicitly demanded."
How to use it
Reciprocity is formal, often institutional vocabulary, well suited to legal, economic, diplomatic, and anthropological writing. It is less personal in tone than 'reciprocation' or 'give-and-take,' better suited to systems and agreements than to individual relationships.
Related concepts
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