𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃

Forms

𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃 (raihts), an adjective of the a-declension.^[1][2][3] The adjective itself is recorded only as the dative singular 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐌰𐌼𐌼𐌰 (raihtamma) and the accusative plural feminine 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍉𐍃 (raihtos), which is why Köbler stars the headword.^[4][5] Its adverbs are 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐌰𐌱𐌰 (raihtaba, "rightly") and the genitive 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐌹𐍃 (raihtis), used as a particle, "indeed, for".^[5][1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Germanic *rehtaz (“right, straight”),^[6][7] the adjective of Old Norse réttr, Old English riht, Old Frisian riucht, Old Saxon reht and Old High German reht.^[7][5] Kroonen derives it from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ-to-, a to-stem adjective of the root of Gothic 𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (rikan, “to heap up”) and 𐌿𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (ufrakjan, “to stretch out”), and matches it with Avestan rašta- (“straight”), Ancient Greek ὀρεκτός (orektós) and Latin rectus (“straight, upright”).^[7][8] Feist adds Old Irish recht (“law”), and Holthausen calls the word an old past participle of the verb seen in rikan, comparing Latin regō (“to direct”) and ὀρέγω (orégō, “to stretch out”).^[8][9]

Attestation

Köbler counts three attestations of the adjective, all in manuscript CA: raihtos at Luke 3:4 and Mark 1:3 and raihtamma at Luke 3:5.^[4] The Wulfila project counts 51 tokens under the lemma because it includes the adverbs, 42 of them raihtis.^[10] With them the word is found in Luke, Mark, seven Epistles and the Skeireins, in manuscripts CA, A, B, Car, E and Lat5750.^[10] PROIEL aligns all three adjectival tokens with Ancient Greek εὐθύς (euthús, “straight”).^[11] Luke 3:4, quoting Isaiah, reads manweid wig fraujins, raihtos waurkeiþ staigos is, "prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight".^[12]

Meanings

1. straight, level, for Ancient Greek εὐθύς (euthús).^[1][4][2]
2. right, just (only at 2 Timothy 4:8 in manuscript B, where A has garaihta).^[4][2][13]

Word family

• 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐌰𐌱𐌰 (raihtaba)
• 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐌹𐍃 (raihtis)
• 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃 (garaihts)
• 𐌲𐌰𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐌾𐌰𐌽 (garaihtjan)

Related words

• 𐍂𐌹𐌺𐌰𐌽 (rikan)
• 𐌿𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌺𐌾𐌰𐌽 (ufrakjan)

Usage notes

At 2 Timothy 4:8 manuscript B has sa raihta staua, where manuscript A has sa garaihta staua "the righteous judge".^[4][2] Köbler and Regan regard the B reading as an error for garaihta.^[4][2]

References

1. ^ a b c Streitberg, Wilhelm (1910), Die gotische Bibel, II: Gotisch-griechisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. s.v. raihts
2. ^ a b c d e Regan, Brian T. (1974), Dictionary of the Biblical Gothic Language, Phoenix: Wulfila House, p. 125
3. ^ Krause, Wolfgang (1963), Handbuch des Gotischen, 2nd ed., München: Beck, p. § 154
4. ^ a b c d e f Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Gotisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. raíhts*
5. ^ a b c Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the third edition of Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache by Sigmund Feist, Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. raihts
6. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org, p. s.v. 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃
7. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 408
8. ^ a b Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. s.v. raihts
9. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Gotisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Winter, p. 79
10. ^ a b De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be
11. ^ Haug, Dag T. T. et al., PROIEL Treebank: The Gothic Bible (gothic-nt), 2023 release, Pragmatic Resources in Old Indo-European Languages, University of Oslo
12. ^ De Herdt, Tom (2004–2026), Project Wulfila: digital edition of the Gothic Bible with lemma and morphological annotation, data release 2026-09-03, wulfila.be, p. Lk 3:4
13. ^ Stamm, Friedrich Ludwig; Heyne, Moriz (1920), Ulfilas oder die uns erhaltenen Denkmäler der gotischen Sprache: Text, Wörterbuch und Grammatik, 13th–14th ed. by Ferdinand Wrede, Paderborn: Schöningh, p. 460