Etymograph

English

rectus

Rectus comes from Latin rēctus ‘straight, upright’, and perhaps goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-1‘to straighten, direct’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵtós1‘having moved in a straight line’uncertain
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rektos1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregō1‘to keep or lead straight, to guide’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēctus2‘straight, upright’
  6. Englishtodayrectus2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin rectus
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English rectus

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-Wiktionary, Latin rectus‘to straighten, direct’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵtósWiktionary, Latin rectus‘having moved in a straight line’uncertain
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rektosWiktionary, Latin rectusreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregōWiktionary, Latin rectus‘to keep or lead straight, to guide’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēctusWiktionary, English rectus‘straight, upright’
  6. EnglishtodayrectusWiktionary, English rectus

Linked words

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

real, rich, royal, regular, regional, rank, arrangement, roy, radar, resource, correct, arrange, rack, ana, rogue, ruler, upright, regiment, rightly, righteous, interrogation, raj, rex, rake, rightful, directory, regal, regimen, regency, rani, anorexia, rajah, rector, eldritch, rhesus, rightness, erectile, riel, aright, dirigible, 74 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtós ‘having moved in a straight line’

right, 6 more

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

source, rule, region, director, dress, direction, direct, regime, realm, regulate, resurrection, regent, erect, insurrection, incorrigible, droit, irregularity, dirge, regula, corregidor, regio, derecho, 45 more

through Latin rēctus ‘straight, upright’

address, dresser, undress, dressage, rectify, rectification, rectitude, recto, 5 more

Today it means

noun Any of a number of muscles controlling the movement of the eyeball.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “rectus”; 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 / Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- / rectus

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