Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “ortho-” come from?

ortho- (English) comes from Ancient Greek ὀρθός, from Proto-Hellenic ortʰwós, from Proto-Indo-European h₃r̥dʰwós, from Proto-Indo-European h₃erdʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European -wós — Creates adjectives from verb stems.

ortho- (English): straight, right, proper; Having an extra...

Definitions

  1. straight, right, proper; Having an extra...

Ancestry of “ortho-”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Ancient Greekὀρθόςstraight, upright, erect; straight forward, in a...
2Proto-Hellenicortʰwós—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃r̥dʰwós—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃erdʰ-to increase, grow; upright, high
5Proto-Indo-European-wósCreates adjectives from verb stems

Words derived from “ortho-”

  • orthographic
  • orthostatic
  • orthonormal
  • orthodontic
  • orthoclase
  • orthopedics
  • orthologous
  • orthotopic
  • orthotropic
  • orthodontist
  • orthophosphate
  • orthodontics
  • orthographical
  • orthopnea
  • orthographically
  • orthomolecular
  • orthopyroxene
  • orthometric
  • orthochromatic
  • orthogenesis
  • orthostasis
  • orthonormality
  • orthology
  • orthophoto
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -wós →