Where does “regular” come from?
Regular comes from Middle English reguler, from Middle French reguler, from Latin regularis meaning "of or pertaining to a rule," derived from Latin regula meaning "rule" or "straight edge," from Latin rego meaning "to direct or rule."
regular (English): Bound by religious rule; belonging to a monastic...
Definitions
- Bound by religious rule; belonging to a monastic...
Ancestry of “regular”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | reguler | — |
| 2 | Middle French | regulier | — |
| 3 | French | régulier | regular; dependable; legitimate |
| 4 | Old French | reguler | conforming to Chrisitan law |
| 5 | Latin | rēgulāris | ductile (able to be formed into a bar) |
| 6 | Latin | rēgula | rule, bar |
| 7 | Latin | -ula | regō + API → rēgula; tegō + API → tēgula;... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | -tlom | Alternative form of *-trom |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -trom | Forms nouns denoting a tool or instrument |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -tḗr | Derives agent nouns from verbs, denoting someone... |