Aright

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /əˈɹaɪt/

Definitions

1. In a manner that is correct or proper, following accepted standards or rules
2. Done rightly, in accordance with what is suitable or appropriate
3. Acting or being in a way that is accurate, just, or fitting

Etymology: Old English speakers wrote "āriht" to mean "properly" or "rightly," and the word's surprising feature is how plainly it is built from two pieces: a prefix that once meant "on" and the ordinary word "right." Early forms were often written as two words, "an riht" or "on riht," meaning "on the right course," and the two parts gradually fused into one word over the Middle English period. The "a-" is not the familiar article "a" but a survival of the old preposition "on," which was worn down to a single vowel in unstressed positions. The same wearing-down turns up in other older English words such as "ashore" and "aside." So "aright" literally describes something placed on the straight or correct path. A second root, from Old English "ġerihtan," meaning "to set right," lies behind some of the word's Middle English relatives, including forms meaning "to make right" or "to raise up." These senses belong to a separate verb family that ran alongside the adverb and has largely disappeared from modern use.

Synonyms: correctly, properly, rightly

Antonyms: wrongly, incorrectly