Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “rightward” come from?

Rightward comes from English right combined with the directional suffix -ward, which derives from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- meaning to rule or direct.

rightward (English): To or from the right

Definitions

  1. To or from the right

Ancestry of “rightward”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishrightStraight, not bent; Of an angle, having a size of...
2Middle EnglishrightA good deed, right action; A just or equitable...
3Old Englishrihtstraight; right, true, correct; rightful,...
4Proto-West Germanicrehtstraight; right, correct; morally upright, just
5Proto-Germanicrehtazright, straight; morally upright, just
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵtósstraightened, right, upright
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵ-to straighten, to right oneself; right; just

Words derived from “rightward”

  • rightwardly
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- →