Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “right” come from?

Right derives from Middle English right, from Old English riht, from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵtós, ultimately from the root h₃reǵ-.

right (English): Straight, not bent; Of an angle, having a size of...

Definitions

  1. Straight, not bent; Of an angle, having a size of...

Ancestry of “right”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishrightA good deed, right action; A just or equitable...
2Old Englishrihtstraight; right, true, correct; rightful,...
3Proto-West Germanicrehtstraight; right, correct; morally upright, just
4Proto-Germanicrehtazright, straight; morally upright, just
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵtósstraightened, right, upright
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵ-to straighten, to right oneself; right; just

Words derived from “right”

  • rights
  • copyright
  • rightly
  • rite
  • alright
  • birthright
  • rightness
  • rightmost
  • rightward
  • rightist
  • copyrightable
  • righto
  • reet
  • righty
  • rightwards
  • playright
  • headright
  • rightless
  • uncopyrightable
  • copyrightability
  • rightest
  • rightlessness
  • rightism
  • rightdoing
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- →