Etymograph

English

address

Address comes from Middle English adressen, from Old French adrecier ‘to straighten’, from Proto-Romance *addīrēctiāre, ultimately from Latin dīrēctus ‘straight’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregō1‘to govern, rule’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrigō2‘to lay straight; to direct’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrēctus2‘straight; right’
  4. Proto-Romanceprehistoric (reconstructed)*dīrēctiāre2‘to guide; to direct’reconstructed
  5. Proto-Romanceprehistoric (reconstructed)*addīrēctiāre2reconstructed
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400adrecier2‘to straighten, address’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500adressen2‘to raise erect, adorn’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1566–67address2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin rectus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English address
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1566–67, John Jewel, The Defence of the Apology: “Likewise Vincentius, and Petrus de Natalibus, and others your…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregōWiktionary, Latin rectus‘to govern, rule’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrigōWiktionary, English address‘to lay straight; to direct’
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrēctusWiktionary, English address‘straight; right’
  4. Proto-Romanceprehistoric (reconstructed)*dīrēctiāreWiktionary, English address‘to guide; to direct’reconstructed
  5. Proto-Romanceprehistoric (reconstructed)*addīrēctiāreWiktionary, English addressreconstructed
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400adrecierWiktionary, English address‘to straighten, address’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500adressenWiktionary, English address‘to raise erect, adorn’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1566–67addressWiktionary, English address. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1566–67, John Jewel, The Defence of the Apology: “Likewise Vincentius, and Petrus de Natalibus, and others your…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’

real, rich, royal, regular, correct, regional, rank, arrangement, roy, resource, arrange, radar, rack, ana, rogue, ruler, righteous, regiment, upright, rightly, rex, interrogation, raj, rake, rightful, rector, regal, regimen, regency, rani, anorexia, erectile, rajah, rhesus, erectus, riel, aright, dirigible, eldritch, derailleur, 73 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtós ‘straightened, right, upright’

right, 5 more

through Latin regō ‘to keep or lead straight, to guide’

source, rule, region, direction, regime, realm, directory, regulate, resurrection, erect, regent, insurrection, incorrigible, irregularity, dirge, regula, corregidor, regio, 44 more

through Latin rēctus ‘led straight along, drawn in a straight line,…’

rectify, rectum, rectification, rectitude, recto, rectus, 4 more

through Latin dīrēctus ‘straight’

director, direct, droit, derecho, 1 more

through Vulgar Latin *dīrēctiāre ‘to straighten’

undress, 1 more

through Old French drecier ‘to stand up’

dresser, dressage

Today it means

noun Guidance; help.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “address”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin rectus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin regō / address

Shirt and support for this word