Etymograph

English

rightness

Rightness comes from Old English rihtnes ‘rightness, straightness, perpendicularity’, 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*rehtanassī1‘rightness, justice’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150rihtnes1‘rightness, straightness, perpendicularity’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rightnesse1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1996rightness1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English rightness
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1996, Robert Cummins, Representations: “I think we are inclined to think the leftness…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-Wiktionary, English rightness‘to righten’root named by Wiktionary
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*rehtanassīWiktionary, English rightness‘rightness, justice’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150rihtnesWiktionary, English rightness‘rightness, straightness, perpendicularity’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500rightnesseWiktionary, English rightness
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1996rightnessWiktionary, English rightness. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1996, Robert Cummins, Representations: “I think we are inclined to think the leftness…”

Linked words

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

real, director, source, region, regular, rule, direction, direct, royal, correct, rich, address, rank, dress, regime, arrangement, roy, radar, arrange, rack, ana, rex, rogue, regulate, resurrection, interrogation, raj, erect, regent, rake, rector, regal, regency, righteous, insurrection, rectify, anorexia, upright, rani, rectum, 105 more

Today it means

noun The characteristic of being right; correctness.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “rightness”. 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- / rightness

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