Where does “rightmost” come from?
Rightmost derives from English right, combining the adjective with the superlative suffix -most, tracing back through Middle English right and Old English riht to Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- meaning to direct or guide.
rightmost (English): Furthest to the right
Definitions
- Furthest to the right
Ancestry of “rightmost”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | right | Straight, not bent; Of an angle, having a size of... |
| 2 | Middle English | right | A good deed, right action; A just or equitable... |
| 3 | Old English | riht | straight; right, true, correct; rightful,... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | reht | straight; right, correct; morally upright, just |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | rehtaz | right, straight; morally upright, just |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵtós | straightened, right, upright |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |