Etymograph

English

aright

Aright comes from Old English āriht ‘aright, properly’, from riht ‘rightly’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-1‘to straighten’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵtós2‘right, straightened’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*rehtaz3‘right, straight’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*reht4‘right, straight’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150riht5‘rightly’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150āriht5‘aright, properly’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ariȝt5
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1603aright5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtós
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *rehtaz
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *reht
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Old English riht
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English aright
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes […]: “it is not easie we should so often settle…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtós‘to straighten’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵtósWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *rehtaz‘right, straightened’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*rehtazWiktionary, Proto-West Germanic *reht‘right, straight’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*rehtWiktionary, Old English riht‘right, straight’reconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150rihtWiktionary, English aright‘rightly’
  6. Old Englishc. 450–1150ārihtWiktionary, English aright‘aright, properly’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ariȝtWiktionary, English aright
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1603arightWiktionary, English aright. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes […]: “it is not easie we should so often settle…”

Linked words

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

real, director, source, region, rule, direction, direct, royal, correct, dress, regular, rich, rank, regime, roy, arrangement, radar, rack, ana, rex, rogue, regulate, arrange, resurrection, interrogation, raj, erect, regent, rake, rector, regal, regency, insurrection, anorexia, righteous, rani, upright, rightly, rajah, rightful, 95 more

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

address, dresser, rectify, rectum, undress, dressage, rectification, recto, rectus, 4 more

through Old English riht ‘rightly’

righter, 1 more

Another origin of aright

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*garihtijaną‘to set right’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*garihtijan‘to set right, to correct’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150ġerihtan‘to set right’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500arighten
  5. Englishtodayaright

Today it means

adv Rightly, correctly; in the right way or form.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “aright”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtós, Proto-Germanic *rehtaz, Proto-West Germanic *reht, Old English riht. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- / aright

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