Mutual

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈmjuːt͡ʃuəl/

Definitions

1. Belonging to or shared by two or more people, often indicating a shared interest or benefit
2. Involving a relationship where parties give and receive in equal measure
3. Held or done jointly by two or more individuals or groups ; felt or done reciprocally among the persons concerned

Etymology: The Latin root of "mutual" is "mūtuus," which meant "borrowed" or "reciprocal," and it is closely tied to the idea of exchange. A loan went from one party to another and was returned, so the same back-and-forth flow that defines a loan came to describe any arrangement where both sides give and receive. English took the word from Middle French "mutuel," which carried that Latin sense of reciprocity into the language. The word did not arrive in English as an empty newcomer. It displaced the native Old English "ġemǣne," which meant "common" or "shared," and that older word survives in the modern "mean" in its sense of "common or shared." English speakers had a ready word for things held in common, and "mutual" won out by carrying the more specific idea of two parties acting on each other.

Synonyms: reciprocal, shared

Antonyms: unilateral