Where does “re” come from?

re (Middle English) comes from Italian re, from Latin rēx, from Proto-Italic rēks, from Proto-Indo-European h₃rḗǵs, from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- — to straighten, to right oneself; right; just.

Ancestry of “re”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianreking, male monarch; king; king, magnate
2Latinrēxking, ruler
3Proto-Italicrēksking
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃rḗǵsking, ruler
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵ-to straighten, to right oneself; right; just

Words derived from “re”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- →