the.com/righteousness
morality with its chest out, daring you to argue while it polishes the halo.
means The quality of being morally upright — acting in accordance with what is considered just, virtuous, or in line with divine or ethical law.
from From Old English 'rihtwīs,' a marriage of 'riht' (right, just, straight) and 'wīs' (wise, the way of being — the same 'wise' tucked inside 'likewise' and 'clockwise'). So a 'rihtwīs' person was literally one wise in the right way, righteous-of-manner. Over centuries the spelling drifted and folk-tongues reshaped '-wise' into '-eous,' as if it had always been kin to words like 'courteous' — but the bones are pure Germanic 'right' plus 'way.' The abstract '-ness' was then bolted on to name the whole upright condition.
- word root
- From Old English meaning straight or just, not crooked.
- self-righteous
- The exact moment virtue curdles into smugness.
- legal echo
- Once meant simply rightful, like rightful ownership.
- prophet fuel
- Has launched reforms, revolutions, and unbearable dinner guests.
joan of arc — french peasant girl executed in 1431 for claiming divine righteousness in the hundred years' war
john brown — american abolitionist who led the 1859 harpers ferry raid, believing he was righteous in ending slavery
mahatma gandhi — indian independence leader who practiced non-violent righteous resistance against british colonial rule 1915-1947