"right (side)" in seven languages
Meaningright (side)
Spanish
derecha
/deˈɾetʃa/
fem.inherited
French
droite
/dʁwat/
fem.inherited
Italian
destra
/ˈdɛstra/
fem.other source · Latin DEXTERAM 'right (hand)'
Diritto/dritto means 'straight': sempre dritto, straight on.
Portuguese
direita
/dʒiˈɾejtɐ/
fem.inherited
Romanian
dreaptă
/ˈdre̯aptə/
fem.inherited
Romanian -CT- → -pt- again: DĪRĒCTAM → dreaptă.
Catalan
dreta
/ˈdɾɛtə/
fem.inherited
English
right
/ɹaɪt/
Indo-European kin · PIE *h₃reǵ- 'straight' (Latin RĒCTUS, the core of DĪRĒCTAM)
English → Italianright (side)destraNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: direct, right-angled; dexterity (DEXTERA).What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
DĪRĒCTAM‘straight’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
Spanish and French 'right' is the 'straight' hand (with CT → ch, it); Italian keeps Latin's real word for right, the dexterous hand.
English relatives: direct, right-angled; dexterity (DEXTERA)
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esLa farmacia está a la derecha.
- frLa pharmacie est à droite.
- itLa farmacia è a destra.
- ptA farmácia fica à direita.
- roFarmacia e pe dreapta.
- caLa farmàcia és a la dreta.
- enThe pharmacy is on the right.