Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “erect” come from?

Erect comes from Middle English erecten, from Latin erectus, the past participle of erigere, meaning to set upright, derived from ex- and rego, meaning to rule or direct.

erect (English): Upright; vertical or reaching broadly upwards;...

Definitions

  1. Upright; vertical or reaching broadly upwards;...

Ancestry of “erect”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englisherect—
2Latinērectus—
3Latinērigō—
4Latinregō—
5Proto-Italicregō—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃réǵetito be straightening, to be setting upright
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵ-to straighten, to right oneself; right; just

Words derived from “erect”

  • erectness
  • erectly
  • semierect
  • suberect
  • reerect
  • erectable
  • erecteth
  • erectogenic
  • erective
  • nonerect
  • erecter
  • erectest
  • inerect
  • re-erect
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- →