Etymograph

English

righteous

Righteous comes from Middle English rightwise ‘upright, righteous’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-1‘to righten’root named by Wiktionary
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*rehtawīs2reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150rihtwīs1‘righteous, just’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rightwise1‘upright, righteous’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1611righteous1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English righteous
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old English rihtwis
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-Wiktionary, English righteous‘to righten’root named by Wiktionary
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*rehtawīsWiktionary, Old English rihtwisreconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150rihtwīsWiktionary, English righteous‘righteous, just’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rightwiseWiktionary, English righteous‘upright, righteous’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1611righteousWiktionary, English righteous. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the…”

Linked words

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

real, director, region, source, regular, rule, direction, address, direct, royal, correct, dress, rich, rank, regime, arrangement, roy, radar, arrange, rack, ana, rex, rogue, resurrection, regulate, raj, erect, regent, interrogation, rake, rector, regal, regency, insurrection, rectify, anorexia, upright, rani, rectum, rajah, 104 more

through Old English rihtwīs ‘righteous, just’

unrighteousness, 4 more

Today it means

adj Free from sin or guilt.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “righteous”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Old English rihtwis. 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- / righteous

Shirt and support for this word