Where does “irregular” come from?
Irregular comes from Old French irreguler, from Latin irregularis, composed of the prefix in- (not) and regularis (ruled, orderly), ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root h₃reǵ- meaning to direct or rule.
irregular (English): nonstandard; not conforming to rules or...
Definitions
- nonstandard; not conforming to rules or...
Ancestry of “irregular”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | irreguler | — |
| 2 | Latin | irrēgulāris | irregular, unusual |
| 3 | Latin | rēgulāris | ductile (able to be formed into a bar) |
| 4 | Latin | rēgula | rule, bar |
| 5 | Latin | -ula | regō + API → rēgula; tegō + API → tēgula;... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -tlom | Alternative form of *-trom |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |