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 | straightness, directness |
| 3 | French | rectitude | rectitude |
| 4 | Late Latin | rectitudo | straightness, uprightness; straightness,... |
| 5 | Latin | rēctus | led straight along, drawn in a straight line, straight, upright |
| 6 | Latin | regō | to rule, govern, direct |
| 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 |