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de·re·cho

(də-rāchō)

n. pl. de·re·chos

A windstorm that is accompanied by a quickly moving, usually bow-shaped band of showers or thunderstorms.

[Spanish derecho, straight (from Old Spanish, from Latin dīrēctus, past participle of dīrigere, to lay straight; see reg- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots), applied in English to windstorms on the model of English TORNADO taken as if derived directly from Spanish tornado, turned.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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