Etymograph

English

rectitudinous

Rectitudinous comes from Latin rēctitūdō ‘straightness, directness’, from regō ‘regulate, guide’, 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*h₃réǵeti1‘to straighten’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*regō1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregō2‘regulate, guide’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēctus2‘straight’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēctitūdō3as rēctitūdin-‘straightness, directness’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2008rectitudinous3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin rectitudo
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English rectitudinous
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2008, Libby Brooks, Let heroes be unsung: “Our common room, thanks to a morally rectitudinous constitutional…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-Wiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix‘to straighten’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵetiWiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix‘to straighten’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*regōWiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rixreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregōWiktionary, Latin rectitudo‘regulate, guide’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēctusWiktionary, Latin rectitudo‘straight’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēctitūdōWiktionary, English rectitudinousas rēctitūdin-‘straightness, directness’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2008rectitudinousWiktionary, English rectitudinous. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2008, Libby Brooks, Let heroes be unsung: “Our common room, thanks to a morally rectitudinous constitutional…”

Linked words

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

right, real, rich, royal, regular, rank, correct, arrangement, roy, radar, arrange, rack, rogue, rex, raj, rake, interrogation, regal, regency, rani, rector, rajah, rhesus, riel, eldritch, derailleur, dirigible, interregnum, retch, rectilinear, 74 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti ‘to straighten’

ana, anorexia, 40 more

through Proto-Italic *regō

regional, direction, resource, ruler, regiment, directory, regimen, erectile, erector, erectus, 35 more

through Latin regō ‘regulate, guide’

source, rule, region, director, dress, direct, regime, realm, regulate, resurrection, regent, erect, insurrection, incorrigible, irregularity, droit, dirge, regula, regio, corregidor, derecho, 46 more

through Latin rēctus ‘straight’

address, dresser, undress, dressage, rectum, rectification, recto, rectus, 5 more

Today it means

adj righteous or correct or upright

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “rectitudinous”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin rego, Latin rectitudo. 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- / rectitudinous

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