English
rectitude
Rectitude comes from Late Latin rectitūdō ‘straightness, uprightness’, from Latin regō ‘regulate, guide’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-1‘to straighten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵeti1‘to straighten’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*regō1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregō2‘regulate, guide’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErectus2‘straight’perfect passive participle of regō
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CErectitūdō2‘straightness, uprightness’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600rectitude2
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rectitude2
- Englishearliest quotation 1776rectitude2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix
- 2 Wiktionary, English rectitude
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1776, Thomas Jefferson et al.: “We, therefore, the Repreſentatives of the united States of…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-Wiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix‘to straighten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵetiWiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix‘to straighten’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*regōWiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rixreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregōWiktionary, English rectitude‘regulate, guide’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErectusWiktionary, English rectitude‘straight’perfect passive participle of regō
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CErectitūdōWiktionary, English rectitude‘straightness, uprightness’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600rectitudeWiktionary, English rectitude
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rectitudeWiktionary, English rectitude
- Englishearliest quotation 1776rectitudeWiktionary, English rectitude. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1776, Thomas Jefferson et al.: “We, therefore, the Repreſentatives of the united States of…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’
right, real, rich, royal, regular, rank, correct, arrangement, roy, radar, arrange, rack, rogue, rex, raj, interrogation, rake, regal, regency, rani, rector, rajah, rhesus, riel, eldritch, dirigible, interregnum, derailleur, retch, rectilinear, 74 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti ‘to straighten’
through Proto-Italic *regō
regional, direction, resource, ruler, regiment, directory, regimen, erectile, erectus, erector, 35 more
through Latin regō ‘regulate, guide’
source, rule, region, director, dress, direct, regime, realm, regulate, regent, resurrection, erect, insurrection, incorrigible, dirge, irregularity, droit, regula, corregidor, regio, derecho, 46 more
through Latin rectus ‘straight’
address, dresser, undress, dressage, rectum, rectification, recto, rectus, 5 more
Today it means
noun Straightness; the state or quality of having a constant direction and not being crooked or bent.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “rectitude”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin rego. 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- / rectitude