réttr

réttr¹ right, straight

Forms

réttr^[1] Viking Age runic feminine accusative plural ritaR (réttar).^[2][3]

Etymology

The word for “right, straight” is inherited from Proto-Germanic *rehtaz (“straight, right”),^[4][5] with the cognates Gothic 𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌷𐍄𐍃 (raihts), Old English riht, Old Frisian riucht, Old Saxon reht and Old High German reht.^[4][6] Kroonen describes it as a to-stem adjective Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ-to-, made to the root that also gave Germanic words for “straight” and “to stretch out”, and compares Latin rēctus (“straight”) and Ancient Greek ὀρεκτός (orektós, “straight”).^[4] Cleasby and Vigfússon already set it beside rekja “to stretch out”, taking stretching as the basic notion.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first dated record is the Gästrikland stone Gs 11, dated by Rundata to the middle of the 11th century, where the carver markaði rúnar réttar “marked the right runes”, with the rune text ritaR.^[3] The first manuscript record ONP dates is from 1175, in Eluc674, in the moral sense: Svnesc þér rétt at maþr hlvþe goþs vilia “does it seem right to you that man should obey God's will?”.^[8]

Semantic evolution

ONP's senses run from “direct, straight” and “upright, erect” to “true, genuine”, beside the moral and legal “right, correct, just”.^[8] Baetke gives réttir siðir “the right faith” for Christianity, and hafa rétt at mæla “to be in the right”.^[9] Its religious uses are frequent: ONP counts 204 citations in religious works where 141 would be expected.^[8] The neuter rétt is used as an adverb “rightly, straight”.^[9] The adjective continues as Icelandic réttur, Swedish rätt and Danish ret.^[1]

Timeline

• Mid-11th century – ritaR (réttar) “right (runes)” on Gs 11.^[3]
• 1175 – “right, just” and at réttu “rightly” in Eluc674.^[8]
• 1192 – “right, proper” in the computus text EncCod1812.^[8]
• 1200–1225 – réttar, rétt and réttum in AM 677 4to.^[10]

Meanings

Adjective

1. straight, direct;^[8][11] réttr vegr the straight way.^[8][11]
2. upright, erect;^[8][11] standa réttr to stand upright.^[8][11]
3. true, genuine, real.^[8]
4. right, correct, just, lawful;^[11][9] at réttu, með réttu rightly.^[11][9]

Word family

• rétt
• rétta
• réttliga
• óréttr
• uppréttr
• jafnréttr
• réttlátr

Descendants

• Icelandic réttur^[1]
• Faroese rættur^[1]
• Norwegian Nynorsk rett^[1]
• Old Swedish rǣtter^[1]
• Swedish rätt^[1]
• Old Danish rǣt^[1]
• Danish ret^[1]

réttr² law, right

Forms

réttr m (genitive réttar, plural réttir)^[11][12] Viking Age runic accusative rit (rétt).^[2][13]

Etymology

The word for “law, right” is inherited from Proto-Germanic *rehtuz (“law, right”),^[1] a u-stem noun, as the genitive ⟨réttar⟩ shows, formed beside the adjective of homograph 1.^[14][15] Ásgeir Blöndal Magnússon takes it to have meant first “right, straight treatment”.^[15] The same formation is Old Irish recht (“law”);^[16][17] where Old Norse has the noun, the West Germanic languages use the neuter of the adjective, as Old English riht, Old Saxon reht and Old High German reht.^[14][18]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first dated record is the Swedish inscription Hs 7, dated by Rundata to the 800s, where the rune text rit (rétt) stands in a clause on a man who does not make amends, beside the compound ljóðrétti (rune text liuþriti) “the law of the people”.^[13][2] In the manuscripts ONP first dates it in 1225, in the phrase harðr réttr: gørþi harþan rétt landsmanna “dealt harshly with the people of the land”.^[8]

Semantic evolution

The noun covers both “law” and “a right, legal claim, privilege”, and “compensation, redress” for an injury.^[8][12] It belongs above all to the laws and charters: ONP counts 111 citations in legal works where 30 would be expected, and lists dozens of compounds such as guðs réttr “church law” and byskups réttr “the bishop's due”.^[8] Hellquist compares the way French droit “right, law” comes from Latin dīrēctus.^[17]

The sense “dish, course”, recorded late, came in under the influence of Middle Low German richte “dish”.^[19][15] The noun continues as Icelandic réttur, Swedish rätt and Danish ret.^[15][17]

Timeline

• 800s – rit (rétt) and the compound liuþriti (ljóðrétti) on the Swedish inscription Hs 7.^[13]
• 1225 – harðr réttr “harsh treatment” in Ágr.^[8]
• 1250 – “right, legal claim”, “compensation” and lǫg ok réttr “law and right” in GrgKon.^[8]

Meanings

Noun

1. law;^[11][7] lands réttr the law of the land, kristinn réttr church law.^[11][7]
2. a right, privilege; a legal claim, a due.^[8][11]
3. (law) compensation, redress for an injury.^[8][12]
4. condition, treatment;^[11][8] gera harðan rétt e-s to treat someone harshly.^[11][8]
5. a dish, a course at a meal.^[11][19]

Word family

• guðsréttr
• byskupsréttr
• bóndaréttr
• jarlsréttr
• heraðsréttr
• hvalréttr
• landsréttr

Descendants

• Icelandic réttur^[1]
• Faroese rættur^[1]
• Norwegian Nynorsk rett^[1]
• Old Swedish rǣtter^[1]
• Swedish rätt^[1]
• Old Danish rǣt^[1]
• Danish ret^[1]