What is "rectification"

Rectification \Rec`ti*fi*ca"tion\ (r?k`t?*f?*k?1sh?n), n. [Cf. F. rectification.]

1. The act or operation of rectifying; as, the rectification of an error; the rectification of spirits.

   After the rectification of his views, he was incapable of compromise with profounder shapes of error.
   --De Quincey.

2. (Geom.) The determination of a straight line whose length is equal a portion of a curve.

   Rectification of a globe (Astron.), its adjustment preparatory to the solution of a proposed problem.

c.1400, from Old French rectificacion (14c.) or directly from Late Latin rectificationem (nominative rectificatio), noun of action from past participle stem of rectificare (see rectify).

n. 1 The action or process of rectify. 2 (context geometry English) The determination of a straight line whose length is equal to a portion of a curve. 3 (context astronomy English) The adjustment of a globe preparatory to the solution of a proposed problem.

1. n. (chemistry) the process of refinement or purification of a substance by distillation

2. the conversion of alternating current to direct current

3. the act of offering an improvement to replace a mistake; setting right [syn: correction]

4. determination of the length of a curve; finding a straight line equal in length to a given curve

Rectification has the following technical meanings:

In Euclidean geometry, rectification or complete-truncation is the process of truncating a polytope by marking the midpoints of all its edges, and cutting off its vertices at those points. The resulting polytope will be bounded by vertex figure facets and the rectified facets of the original polytope. A rectification operator is sometimes denoted by the symbol r: for example, r{4,3} is the rectified cube, namely the cuboctahedron.

Conway polyhedron notation uses ambo for this operator. In graph theory this operation creates a medial graph.

Rectification is a remedy whereby a court orders a change in a written document to reflect what it ought to have said in the first place. It is an equitable remedy, which means the circumstances where it can be applied are limited.

In the United States, this remedy is commonly referred to as reformation.