entry
erection
/ɪˈrɛkʃən/The act or result of setting something upright
From Latin ē- (Out of) + Latin regō (To direct).
from Late Latin erectionem (nominative erectio) "a setting up," also "pride, insolence," noun of action
Word Ancestry
from Late Latin erectionem (nominative erectio) "a setting up," also "pride, insolence," noun of action
Latin ērigō joined ē-, “out of,” with regō, “to direct or guide,” to make a verb meaning “raise” or “set upright.” Its family includes direct and correct: both carry the old image of guiding something along a straight course. By the early 15th century, medical writers were already using erection for penile stiffening; by the 1590s, it could also describe putting up a building. So the same word can summon either scaffolding rising over a street or a very different kind of bodily “setting up.”
The Story
Latin ērigō joined ē-, “out of,” with regō, “to direct or guide,” to make a verb meaning “raise” or “set upright.” Its family includes direct and correct: both carry the old image of guiding something along a straight course. By the early 15th century, medical writers were already using erection for penile stiffening; by the 1590s, it could also describe putting up a building. So the same word can summon either scaffolding rising over a street or a very different kind of bodily “setting up.”
Modern Usage
A joking or crude reference to a penile erection
Kin & Kindred
From 'ē-'·Out of; forth
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'regō'·To direct, guide, or rule
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Etymonline
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary