Right
/raɪt/noun
Morally good, correct, or opposite of left; also straight or directly.
Did you know?The word’s deep ancestor also gave Latin *rex* (“king”) and Sanskrit *rāj-* (“rule”), hinting that “rightness” and rulership were once bound together in the ancient Indo-European imagination.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃reǵ-
“to straighten, direct, or rule”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*rehtaz
“straight, right, proper, just”
Old English
English
riht
“just, good, fair, lawful; straight”
Old English
English
riht
“the right side; what is morally correct”
Middle English
English
right
“correct, lawful, opposite of left; also straight”
Modern English
English
right
“morally correct, true, lawful, or on the right-hand side”