Where does “rechtmatig” come from?
rechtmatig (Dutch) comes from German rechtmäßig, from German -mäßig, from German maß, from Middle High German māz, from Old High German māza, from Pali mātu, from Proto-Germanic mētō, from Proto-Indo-European med- — to measure; to give advice; healing.
rechtmatig (Dutch): legitimate
Ancestry of “rechtmatig”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | rechtmäßig | rightful |
| 2 | German | -mäßig | -like; -wise |
| 3 | German | maß | first/third-person singular preterite of messen |
| 4 | Middle High German | māz | — |
| 5 | Old High German | māza | — |
| 6 | Pali | mātu | gen/dat singular of mātar; alternative stem of... |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | mētō | measure; size |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | med- | to measure; to give advice; healing |