Meanings
erect1
comparative more erect · superlative most erect
- Upright; vertical or reaching broadly upwards.
Among the Greek colonies and churches of Asia, Philadelphia is still erect—a column in a scene of ruins.
1788, Edward Gibbon, chapter LXIV, in The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, volume VI, London: […] W[illiam] Strahan; and T[homas] Cadell, […], →OCLC - Rigid, firm; standing out perpendicularly, especially as the result of stimulation.
erect nipples
1 more example
The penis should be fully erect before commencing copulation.
- obsoleteBold; confident; free from depression; undismayed.
But who is he, by years / Bowed, but erect in heart?
1827, [John Keble], The Christian Year: Thoughts in Verse for the Sundays and Holydays throughout the Year, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] [B]y W. Baxter, for J. Parker; and C[harles] and J[ohn] Rivington, […], →OCLC - obsoleteDirected upward; raised; uplifted.
His piercing Eyes, erect, appear to vievv / Superior VVorlds, and look all Nature thro'.
1715, [Alexander] Pope, The Temple of Fame: A Vision, London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, page 23 - Watchful; alert.
vigilant and erect attention of mind
[1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page) - governmentElevated, as the tips of wings, heads of serpents, etc.
erect2
present singular third person erects · participle present erecting · participle past erected · past erected
- transitiveTo put up by the fitting together of materials or parts.
to erect a house or a fort
- transitiveTo cause to stand up or out.
- To raise and place in an upright or perpendicular position; to set upright; to raise.
to erect a pole, a flagstaff, a monument, etc.
- transitiveTo lift up; to elevate; to exalt; to magnify.
, Preface I, who am a party, am not to erect myself into a judge.
1 more example
that didst his state above his hopes erect
1595, Samuel Daniel, “(please specify the folio number)”, in The First Fowre Bookes of the Ciuile Wars between the Two Houses of Lancaster and Yorke, London: […] P[eter] Short for Simon Waterson, →OCLC - transitiveTo animate; to encourage; to cheer.
It raiseth the dropping spirit, erecting it to a loving complaisance.
a. 1678 (date written), Isaac Barrow, “(please specify the chapter name or sermon number)”, in The Works of Dr. Isaac Barrow. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to VII), London: A[braham] J[ohn] Valpy, […], published 1830–1831, →OCLC - transitiveastrologyTo cast or draw up (a figure of the heavens, horoscope etc.).
In 1581 Parliament made it a statutory felony to erect figures, cast nativities, or calculate by prophecy how long the Queen would live or who would succeed her.
1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society, published 2012, page 332 - intransitiveTo enter a state of physiological erection.
His black dick erected with a long bend.
2008 September 15, Naval Ahmed, Blue Moon On Bandideau, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 2343 more examples
On the 17th of July, the patient returned to the country, perfectly healed: the penis erected and he was capable of coition.
1828, The American Journal of the Medical Sciences, page 113On an adequate stimulus the penis erected, the testes were drawn up, and the dartos muscle slowly contracted.
1917, Brain: A Journal of Neurology, page 292When the penis erects, blood pours into what erectile tissue there is and enlarges the penis somewhat, but by making it turgid, the S-shaped bend is straightened out and the penis extends.
2012 July 12, Tim Glover, Mating Males: An Evolutionary Perspective on Mammalian Reproduction, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 126 - transitiveTo set up as an assertion or consequence from premises, etc.
Malebranche erects this proposition.
a. 1705, John Locke, “An Examination of P[ère] Malebranche’s Opinion of Seeing All Things in God”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, →OCLC1 more example
from fallacious foundations, and misapprehended mediums, erecting conclusions no way inferrible from their premises
1646, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], London: […] T[homas] H[arper] for Edward Dod, […], →OCLC - transitiveTo set up or establish; to found; to form; to institute.
to erect a new commonwealth
[1594], Richard Hooker, edited by J[ohn] S[penser], Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie, […], London: […] Iohn Windet, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page)1 more example
In 1686, he was appointed one of the Commissioners in the new ecclesiastical commission erected by King James, and was proud of that honour.
1812, Arthur Collins & Sir Egerton Brydges, Peerage of England, F.C. and J. Rivington et al, page 330
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveRigid, firm; standing out perpendicularly, especially as the result of stimulation.
antonym(s) of “rigid, standing out perpendicularly”
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveupright in position or posture
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
erect · adjective
- Latinērectus“upright”
- Middle Englisherect
- Englisherect
From Middle English erect, a borrowing from Latin ērectus (“upright”), past participle of ērigō (“raise, set up”), from ē- (“out”) + regō (“to direct, keep straight, guide”).
More words from Middle English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →erect · verb
- Middle Englisherecten
- Englisherect
From Middle English erecten, from the adjective (see above).
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ὀρθόω, ὀρθόω
- ὀρθόω (orthóō)to put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- ὀρθόω (orthóō)to cause to stand up or out
Bengali খাড়া, খাড়া
- খাড়া (khaṛa)vertical in position
- খাড়া (khaṛa)standing out perpendicularly
Bulgarian вертика́лен, прав
- вертика́лен (vertikálen)vertical in position
- прав (prav)standing out perpendicularly
- изправен (izpraven)standing out perpendicularly
- издигам (izdigam)to put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- изправям (izpravjam)to cause to stand up or out
Catalan erecte, erecte
- erectevertical in position
- erectestanding out perpendicularly
Czech vztyčit
- vztyčitto cause to stand up or out
Esperanto rekta, fondi
- rektavertical in position
- fondito put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- starigito cause to stand up or out
Finnish pysty, pystyasennossa
- pystyvertical in position
- pystyasennossavertical in position
- kovastanding out perpendicularly
- tanassastanding out perpendicularly
- kovahaving an erect penis
- rakentaato put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- pystyttääto put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- pystyttääto cause to stand up or out
- kohottaato lift up; to elevate; to exalt; to magnify
- nostaato lift up; to elevate; to exalt; to magnify
- kohottaato animate; to encourage; to cheer
- laatiaastrology: to cast or draw up
- tehdäto set up as an assertion or consequence from premises
- vetääto set up as an assertion or consequence from premises
- perustaato set up or establish
- pystyttääto raise and place in an upright or perpendicular position
French dressé, érigé
- dressévertical in position
- érigévertical in position
- dresséstanding out perpendicularly
- en érectionstanding out perpendicularly
- érigéstanding out perpendicularly
- en érectionhaving an erect penis
German erigiert
- erigiertstanding out perpendicularly
Irish ardcheannach, fadaigh
- ardcheannachvertical in position
- fadaighto put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- cuir suasto put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- cuir suasto raise and place in an upright or perpendicular position
Italian eretto, duro
- erettovertical in position
- durovertical in position
- drittostanding out perpendicularly
- erettostanding out perpendicularly
Latin ērectus, erigo
- ērectusvertical in position
- erigoto put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- erigoto cause to stand up or out
Māori takotako, tora
- takotakovertical in position
- toravertical in position
- whaihangato put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- whakatūto cause to stand up or out
Norwegian reise, erigere
- reiseto put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- erigereto cause to stand up or out
- reiseto cause to stand up or out
Polish wznieść
- wznieśćto put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
Portuguese ereto, ereto
- eretovertical in position
- eretostanding out perpendicularly
- eretohaving an erect penis
- erigirto put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- erguerto put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- erigirto cause to stand up or out
- erguerto cause to stand up or out
Russian прямо́й, вертикальный
- прямо́й (prjamój)vertical in position
- вертикальный (vertikalʹnyj)vertical in position
- вертика́льно поднятый (vertikálʹno podnjatyj)vertical in position
- ощетинившийся (oščetinivšijsja)standing out perpendicularly
- торчащий (torčaščij)standing out perpendicularly
- сооружать (sooružatʹ)to put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- устана́вливать (ustanávlivatʹ)to put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- возводить (vozvoditʹ)to put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- строить (stroitʹ)to put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- выпрямлять (vyprjamljatʹ)to cause to stand up or out
- распрямлять (rasprjamljatʹ)to cause to stand up or out
Scottish Gaelic tog, tog
- togto put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- togto cause to stand up or out
Spanish erecto, erguido
- erectovertical in position
- erguidostanding out perpendicularly
- enhiestostanding out perpendicularly
- empalmadohaving an erect penis
- erectohaving an erect penis
- erigirto put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- erguirto cause to stand up or out
- erigirto set up or establish
- erguirto raise and place in an upright or perpendicular position
- enhestarto raise and place in an upright or perpendicular position
Swedish rest, upprätt
- restvertical in position
- upprättvertical in position
- resato put up by the fitting together of materials or parts
- resato cause to stand up or out
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with erect
Sounds the same
Anagrams
Cite this entry
erect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/erect
“erect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/erect. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “erect,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/erect.
Source: erect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.