Where does “dead to rights” come from?
dead to rights (English) comes from English dead, from English -en, from Middle English -en, from Old English -en, from Old Norse -inn, from Proto-Norse -īna-, from Proto-Germanic -īnaz, from Proto-Indo-European -iHnos — adjectival suffix.
dead to rights (English): With sufficient evidence to establish...
Definitions
- With sufficient evidence to establish...
Ancestry of “dead to rights”, step by step
dead to rights traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English dead
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | dead | No longer living; Devoid of life; Figuratively,... |
| 2 | English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 3 | Middle English | -en | Denotes the past participle form when attached to... |
| 4 | Old English | -en | mæġþ + API → mæġden; cocc + API → cycen, cicen;... |
| 5 | Old Norse | -inn | Used to create adjectives from nouns, meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Norse | -īna- | — |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | -īnaz | -en |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHnos | Creates adjectives of materials |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -no- | adjectival suffix |
via English to rights
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | to rights | properly |