Word: right Part of Speech: adj Etymology: From Middle English reȝt, right, righte, riht, riȝt, riȝte, ryght, ryȝt, from Old English reht, reoht, rieht, riht, ryht (“right,” also the word for “straight” and “direct”), from Proto-West Germanic *reht, from Proto-Germanic *rehtaz (“right, straight; just, morally upright”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtós (“right, straightened”), from *h₃reǵ- (“to straighten; to righten”). The Germanic adjective which has been used also as a noun since the common Germanic period. Cognates Cognate with Scots richt (“right”), Yola reights, rights (“rights”), North Frisian recht, rocht, rucht (“right”), Saterland Frisian gjucht (“right”), West Frisian rjocht (“straight”), Central Franconian rääch (“right”), Dutch recht (“straight”), German recht, Recht (“right”), Limburgish réët (“right”), Luxembourgish Recht, riets (“right”), riicht (“straight”), Yiddish רעכט (rekht, “right”), Danish ret (“right”), Faroese rættur (“right”), Icelandic réttur (“right”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk rett (“right”), Swedish rät (“straight”), rätt (“right”), Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃 (raihts, “straight; correct”). The Indo-European root is also the source of Breton reiñ (“to give”), Cornish ri (“to give; to grant; to present”), Irish reachd, reacht (“law, statute; authority; dispensation”), Scottish Gaelic reachd (“law, right; command, power”), Welsh rhoddi, rhoi (“to give; to put”), Latin rēctus (“led straight along; correct, right; just, lawful”), Ancient Greek ὀρεκτός (orektós, “stretched out; longed for”), Latvian redzēt (“to see”), Lithuanian regėti (“to see, view”), Avestan 𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬰𐬎 (ər^əzu, “straight”), Baluchi راست (rást, “right”), Central Kurdish ڕاست (rast, “right; straight”), Northern Kurdish rast (“straight; right; true; erect; direct”), Ossetian раст (rast, “honest, true; correct; exact; straight; fair; direct”), Persian راس (rās / râs), راست (râst, “straight; direct; true; erect”), Zazaki raşt (“right; straight”), Sanskrit ऋजु (ṛju, “straight; honest, sincere”). Pronunciation: /ˈɹaɪt/, [ˈɹaɪt], /ˈɹɑjt/, [ˈɹɑjt] ~ [ˈɹɑjʔ], [ˈɹɒɪʔ] 1. Designating the side of the body which is positioned to the east if one is facing north, the side on which the heart is not located in most humans. This arrow points to the reader's right: → Example: Near-synonym: starboard Example: After the accident, her right leg was slightly shorter than her left. 2. Clockwise, particularly when describing a change in direction or orientation. Example: The road up ahead contains a right bend. Example: Rotate the bolt to the right to tighten it. 3. Complying with justice, correctness, or reason; correct, just, true. See also the interjection senses below. Example: That's not the right thing to do. Example: So I was right all along? C'mon. I want to hear you say it. 4. Appropriate, perfectly suitable; fit for purpose. Example: Is this the right software for my computer? 5. Healthy, sane, competent. Example: I'm afraid my father is no longer in his right mind. Example: “If I didn’t know the dear old fellow so well by now,” Tennington remarked to Miss Strong, “I should be quite certain that he was—er—not quite right, don’t you know.” 6. Real; veritable (used emphatically). Example: You've made a right mess of the kitchen! Example: He's got a wicked sense of fun, he can be a right laugh, he's ever so broadminded – ooh, and he's got a lovely broad chest too. 7. Of an angle, measuring 90 degrees, or one quarter of a complete rotation; the angle between two perpendicular lines. Example: The kitchen counter formed a right angle with the back wall. 8. Of a geometric figure, incorporating a right angle between edges, faces, axes, etc. Example: a right triangle a right prism a right cone 9. Designating the bank of a river (etc.) on one's right when facing downstream (i.e. facing forward while floating with the current); that is, the south bank of a river that flows eastward. If this arrow: ⥴ shows the direction of the current, the tilde is on the right side of the river. Example: The Louvre Museum is on the right bank of the Seine. 10. Designed to be placed or worn outward. Example: the right side of a piece of cloth Begin this stitch on the right side. 11. Pertaining to the political right; conservative. 12. All right; not requiring assistance. Labels: Australia Example: Kirsty: I suppose you're hungry. Would you like something to eat? Ken: No. I'm right, thanks. Example: When the sales assistant sees the customer, she asks Are you right, sir? This means Are you all right? She wants to know if he needs any help. 13. Most favourable or convenient; fortunate. Labels: dated Example: The lady has been disappointed on the right side. 14. Straight, not bent. Labels: archaic Example: a right line 15. Of or relating to the right whale. Example: In the course of the day we saw several large whales of the right species, and innumerable flights of the albatross passed over the vessel.