| 1 | Old English | rēċan | to care, reck, take care of, be interested in,... |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | rekan | to rake up, to pile up, to heap up |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | rekaną | to rake up, to pile up, to heap up |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃rḗǵs | king, ruler |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |