Word of the Day

Saturday, July 07, 2001

aright

\uh-RYT\ , adverb;

Rightly; correctly; properly; in a right way or manner.

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Quotes:

The worldview of a people, though normally left unspoken in the daily business of buying and selling and counting shekels, is to be found in a culture's stories, myths, and rituals, which, if studied aright, inevitably yield insight into the deepest concerns of a people by unveiling the invisible fears and desires inscribed on human hearts.

-- Thomas Cahill, The Gifts of the Jews

I think all theories are suspect, that the finest principles may have to be modified, or may even be pulverized by the demands of life, and that one must find, therefore, one's own moral center and move through the world hoping that this center will guide one aright.

-- James Baldwin, Collected Essays

Origin:

Aright comes from Middle English, from Old English ariht, from a-, "on" + riht, "right."