Where does “correctness” come from?
Correctness derives from English correct, from French correct, from Latin correctus, the past participle of regere, meaning to rule or guide.
correctness (English): freedom from error; conformity to the truth or to...
Definitions
- freedom from error; conformity to the truth or to...
Ancestry of “correctness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | correct | Free from error; true; accurate; With good... |
| 2 | Middle English | correcten | — |
| 3 | Anglo-Norman | correcter | — |
| 4 | Latin | correctus | corrected; straightened; improved |
| 5 | Latin | corrigēre | — |
| 6 | Latin | com- | allomorph of con- |
| 7 | Latin | con- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing... |
| 8 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 9 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 13 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 14 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 15 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 16 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 17 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 18 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |