Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “righteous” come from?

Righteous derives from Old English rihtwise, combining riht (right, straight, proper) from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- (to direct or straighten), with the suffix -wise (manner or direction).

righteous (English): Free from sin or guilt; Moral and virtuous, to...

Definitions

  1. Free from sin or guilt; Moral and virtuous, to...

Ancestry of “righteous”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishrightwiseupright, righteous; rightly
2Old Englishrihtwīsrighteous, just, right, justifiable; righteous,...

Words derived from “righteous”

  • unrighteous
  • righteously
  • unrighteously
  • overrighteous
  • self-righteousness
  • self-righteously
  • self-righteous
Every word from Old English rihtwīs →