Where does “rectitude” come from?
rectitude (Middle English) comes from Middle French rectitude, from Latin rectitūdō, from French rectitude, from Late Latin rectitudo, from Latin rēctus, from Latin regō, from Proto-Italic regō, from Proto-Indo-European h₃réǵeti — to straighten, to right oneself; right; just.
Ancestry of “rectitude”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle French | rectitude | — |
| 2 | Latin | rectitūdō | — |
| 3 | French | rectitude | rectitude |
| 4 | Late Latin | rectitudo | straightness, uprightness; straightness,... |
| 5 | Latin | rēctus | — |
| 6 | Latin | regō | — |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | regō | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃réǵeti | to be straightening, to be setting upright |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |
Words derived from “rectitude”