English
rectilinear
Rectilinear may come from English rectus ‘straight’.
- English1500–presentrectus‘straight’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 2026rectilinear
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- English1500–presentrectus‘straight’uncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 2026rectilinear
Earliest quotation: 2026, Andy Comfort, Mapping Britain's railways: “10. A Chiltern Railways 2023 rectilinear diagram.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’
right, real, source, rule, rich, royal, region, address, director, regular, dress, rank, direct, correct, roy, regime, arrangement, radar, rack, ana, rogue, arrange, regulate, rex, raj, rake, interrogation, regent, resurrection, regal, regency, anorexia, erect, rani, rector, rajah, insurrection, rhesus, droit, rectum, 106 more
Today it means
adj In a straight line.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / English rectus / rectilinear