ords (29) Advertisement Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads. More to explore droit "a right, a legal claim to one's due," mid-15c., from Old French droit, dreit "right," from Medieval Latin directum (contracted drictum) "right, justice, law," neuter or accusative of Latin directus "straight," past participle of dirigere "set straight" (see direct (v.)). law Old English lagu (plural laga, combining form lah-) "ordinance, rule prescribed by authority, regulation; district governed by the same laws;" also sometimes "right, legal privilege," from Old Norse *lagu "law," collective plural of lag "layer, measure, stroke," literally "someth righteous an early 16c. alteration of the older word, rightwise, which is from Old English rihtwis, of actions, "characterized by justice, morally right," of persons, "just, upright; sinless, conforming to divine law," from riht (see right (adj.1)) + wis "wise, way, manner" (see wise (adj. Benjamin hand," from ben "son of" + yamin "right hand," also "south" (in an East-oriented culture)....Compare Arabic cognate yaman "right hand, right side, south;" yamana "he was happy," literally "he turned to the right."...The right was regarded as auspicious (see left and dexterity)....toward the right," from deas "right, right-hand; south."... deasil "right-hand-wise, turned toward the right; clockwise," 1771, from Gaelic deiseil, deiseal (adjective and adverb) "toward...the south," taken in sense of "toward the right," from deas "right, right-hand; south," cognate with Irish deas, Old Irish...dess, des, Welsh dehau, and ultimately with Latin dexter, from PIE root *deks- "right; south."... dexter 1560s, "pertaining to or situated on the right hand," from Latin dexter "on the right hand" (source also of French dextre..., Spanish diestro, Italian destro), from PIE root *deks- "right, opposite of left; south."...Middle English dester meant "right hand," and compare destrier....In heraldry, the par