erect

Where does the word "erect" come from? It comes from Latin erigere, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Erect’s story begins in Latin: erigere meant “to set up straight.” To set up straight, from ex- (out, up) and regere (to guide, direct). It reached English by 1400s as erect. Settled as the English word for standing upright, or building something upright. Today, erect means standing straight up, or to build or set something upright.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient erigere "to set up straight", to set up straight, from ex- (out, up) and regere (to guide, direct).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s erect "standing upright, or to build something upright", settled as the English word for standing upright, or building something upright.