| 1 | Middle English | right | A good deed, right action; A just or equitable... |
| 2 | Old English | riht | straight; right, true, correct; rightful,... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | reht | straight; right, correct; morally upright, just |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | rehtaz | right, straight; morally upright, just |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵtós | straightened, right, upright |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |