recto

[ rek-toh ]

noun

, Printing.

, plural rec·tos.

1. a right-hand page of an open book or manuscript; the front of a leaf ( verso ).

recto

/ ˈrɛktəʊ /

noun

1. the front of a sheet of printed paper
2. the right-hand pages of a book, bearing the odd numbers Compare verso

Word History and Origins

Origin of recto¹

1815–25; < Late Latin rēctō ( foliō ) on the right-hand (leaf or page), ablative of Latin rēctus right

Word History and Origins

Origin of recto¹

C19: from Latin rectus right, in rectō foliō on the right-hand page

Example Sentences

Exterior becomes interior — or verso becomes recto — in Leedham’s wittily jumbled tableaux.

From Washington Post

Then on the recto the book opens up a trapdoor: “But what else is time?”

From New York Times

On each recto, a square of a different color contains a riddle, begging us to turn the page to reveal the identity of the speaker.

From New York Times

Part of the appeal of the Folger paperbacks is their accessible design: On the recto page, the original text, uncut; on the verso, helpful vocabulary words, often accompanied by tiny reproductions of Elizabethan etchings.

From New York Times

Much of the scientific work over the years has been focused on piecing together the material on the front, or “recto,” of unrolled scrolls.

From Scientific American