Right

Part of speech: adjective, noun, adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈɹaɪt/

Definitions

1. In accordance with what is ethical or just ; having a legal or justified claim to something ; the opposite side of left, often a compass direction
2. Conforming to accepted standards of morality or justice ; a valid or lawful claim or entitlement ; the side or direction that is opposite to the left hand
3. Being proper, fair, or justifiable in behavior or position ; a claim or privilege recognized by law or fairness ; the orientation or side opposite to left, typically used in navigation or positioning

Etymology: The adjective "right" descends from an old Germanic idea of straightness. Its ancestor, Proto-Germanic "rehtaz," meant "straight" before it meant "just," and Old English "reht" still carried both senses. The moral sense grew out of the physical one: a straight path was the correct path, and a correct action was the one that stayed on it. The same root gave Latin "rēctus," which meant "led straight along" and later "correct, right, just," and that Latin word is the ancestor of "rectify," "rector," and "direct." English "right" and those Latin relatives are cousins rather than borrowings, all descending from one prehistoric verb meaning "to straighten." The root also branched in surprising directions. Its Indo-European form underlies Old Irish and Welsh words for "to give," and the Latin and Persian lines show how far a single idea of straightness could travel across Europe and Asia. Within English, the Germanic word also served as a noun from its earliest days, so the noun "right" for a claim or entitlement is as old as the adjective.

Synonyms: correct, just, true, accurate, proper

Antonyms: wrong, incorrect, false, improper, unjust