English
address
Address comes from Middle English adressen, from Old French adrecier ‘to straighten’, from Proto-Romance *addīrēctiāre, ultimately from Latin dīrēctus ‘straight’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregō‘to govern, rule’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrigō‘to lay straight; to direct’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrēctus‘straight; right’
- Proto-Romanceprehistoric (reconstructed)*dīrēctiāre‘to guide; to direct’reconstructed
- Proto-Romance, derivedprehistoric (reconstructed)*addīrēctiārereconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400adrecier‘to straighten, address’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500adressen‘to raise erect, adorn’
- Englishearliest quotation 1566–67address
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregō‘to govern, rule’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrigō‘to lay straight; to direct’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīrēctus‘straight; right’
- Proto-Romanceprehistoric (reconstructed)*dīrēctiāre‘to guide; to direct’reconstructed
- Proto-Romance, derivedprehistoric (reconstructed)*addīrēctiārereconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400adrecier‘to straighten, address’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500adressen‘to raise erect, adorn’
- Englishearliest quotation 1566–67address
Earliest quotation: 1566–67, John Jewel, The Defence of the Apology: “Likewise Vincentius, and Petrus de Natalibus, and others your…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’
real, rich, royal, regular, correct, regional, rank, arrangement, roy, resource, arrange, radar, rack, ana, rogue, ruler, righteous, regiment, upright, rightly, rex, interrogation, raj, rake, rightful, rector, regal, regimen, regency, rani, anorexia, erectile, rajah, rhesus, erectus, riel, aright, dirigible, eldritch, derailleur, 73 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵtós ‘straightened, right, upright’
through Latin regō ‘to keep or lead straight, to guide’
source, rule, region, direction, regime, realm, directory, regulate, resurrection, erect, regent, insurrection, incorrigible, régime, irregularity, dirge, regula, corregidor, regio, 44 more
through Latin rēctus ‘led straight along, drawn in a straight line,…’
rectify, rectum, rectification, rectitude, recto, rectus, 4 more
through Latin dīrēctus ‘straight’
director, direct, droit, derecho, 1 more
through Vulgar Latin *dīrēctiāre ‘to straighten’
through Old French drecier ‘to stand up’
Today it means
noun Guidance; help.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin regō / address