Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “regal” come from?

Regal comes from Old French regol, from Middle Dutch regel, from Latin regula meaning rule or straight edge, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ-.

regal (English): Of or relating to royalty; Befitting a king,...

Definitions

  1. Of or relating to royalty; Befitting a king,...

Ancestry of “regal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishregal—
2Old Frenchregalregal
3Latinrēgālis—
4Latinrēx—
5Proto-Italicrēksking
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃rḗǵsking, ruler
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃reǵ-to straighten, to right oneself; right; just

Words derived from “regal”

  • viceregal
  • regally
  • unregal
  • regalist
  • regalism
  • regalness
  • rigoll
  • interregal
  • unregally
  • viceregally
  • superregal
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃reǵ- →