'recto-written' is a compound of 'recto' and 'written'. 'recto' originates from Italian/Latin, specifically from Latin 'rectus', where 'rect-' meant 'right' or 'straight'; 'written' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'writan', where 'writ-' meant 'to scratch' or 'to form letters'.

'recto' entered English printing vocabulary via Italian and Latin usage (early modern to modern printing usage) meaning the right-hand page; 'written' developed from Old English 'writan' to Middle English 'writen' and eventually to modern English 'written', and together they formed the descriptive compound meaning 'written on the recto page'.

Individually, 'recto' originally meant 'right' or 'straight' and 'written' meant 'to write or scratch'; combined, the compound came to mean specifically 'written on the right-hand page' in bibliographic and archival contexts.