Where does “erectus” come from?
erectus (Latin) comes from Latin ērigō, from Latin regō, from Proto-Italic regō, from Proto-Indo-European h₃réǵeti, from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- — to straighten, to right oneself; right; just.
Ancestry of “erectus”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | ērigō | — |
| 2 | Latin | regō | — |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | regō | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃réǵeti | to be straightening, to be setting upright |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |