[ rIt ] (adjective.) before 12th century. From Middle English right (“right”), from Old English riht, reht (“right”), from Proto-Germanic *rehtaz (“right, direct”), from Proto-Indo-European *reg-to- (“having moved in a straight line”) from *(o)reg'(a)- (“to straighten, direct”). An Indo-European past participle, it became a Germanic adjective which has been used also as a noun since the common Germanic period. Cognate with Dutch recht, German recht/Recht, Swedish rätt and rät, Danish ret, Norwegian rett, and Icelandic rétt. The Indo-European root is also the source of Greek ὀρεκτός, Latin rectus and the Sanskrit ṛtá (ऋत)