Where does “rectus” come from?

rectus (Latin) comes from Latin regō, from Proto-Italic regō, from Proto-Indo-European h₃réǵeti, from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- — to straighten, to right oneself; right; just.

rectus (Latin): led straight along, drawn in a straight line, straight, upright

Definitions

  1. led straight along, drawn in a straight line, straight, upright

Ancestry of “rectus”, step by step

rectus traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin regō

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinregōto rule, govern, direct
2Proto-Italicregō
3Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃réǵetito be straightening, to be setting upright
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵ-to straighten, to right oneself; right; just

via Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵtós

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵtósstraightened, right, upright

Words derived from “rectus

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ-