Where does “Rechtfertigung” come from?
Rechtfertigung (German) comes from German rechtfertigen, from German Recht, from Middle High German reht, from Old High German reht, from Proto-West Germanic reht, from Proto-Germanic rehtaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵtós, from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- — to straighten, to right oneself; right; just.
Rechtfertigung (German): justification
Ancestry of “Rechtfertigung”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | rechtfertigen | to justify |
| 2 | German | Recht | a right, privilege; a title, claim; the law |
| 3 | Middle High German | reht | — |
| 4 | Old High German | reht | right |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | reht | straight; right, correct; morally upright, just |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | rehtaz | right, straight; morally upright, just |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵtós | straightened, right, upright |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |