Where does “unrighten” come from?
unrighten (Middle English) comes from Middle English unright, from Old English unriht, from Proto-Germanic unrehtaz, from Proto-Germanic rehtaz, from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵtós, from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- — to straighten, to right oneself; right; just.
Ancestry of “unrighten”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | unright | not right; unrighteous; unjust; wrong |
| 2 | Old English | unriht | not right, wrong; illegal; wrong, evil,... |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | unrehtaz | wrong, bad, unjust |
| 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 |