Where does “alright” come from?
Alright is a colloquial fusion of all and right, combining Middle English all and Old English riht, which derives from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- meaning straight or direct.
alright (English): Alternative form of all right; satisfactory;...
Definitions
- Alternative form of all right; satisfactory;...
Ancestry of “alright”, step by step
alright traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English right
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | right | Straight, not bent; Of an angle, having a size of... |
| 2 | Middle English | right | A good deed, right action; A just or equitable... |
| 3 | Old English | riht | straight; right, true, correct; rightful,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | reht | straight; right, correct; morally upright, just |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | rehtaz | right, straight; morally upright, just |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵtós | straightened, right, upright |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |