Birthright
/ˈbɜːrθ.raɪt/noun
A right or privilege that belongs to someone by birth.
Did you know?Birthright is a straightforward English compound, but its second half, right, comes from the same ancient root as words for rule, law, and justice, so the word quietly ties bloodline to authority.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
byrðrīht
“a right belonging by birth”
Old English
OE
birth
“the act or fact of being born”
Old English
OE
riht
“what is right, just, proper; a legal entitlement”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*reg-
“to move in a straight line; to direct, rule”
Middle English
ME
birthright
“a hereditary right or privilege”
Modern English
English
birthright
“a right or privilege one possesses by birth”