Where does “reign” come from?
Reign comes from Middle English regnen, from Old French regner, from Latin regno, derived from the noun regnum meaning kingdom, itself from rex meaning king, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₃rḗǵs and the root h₃reǵ- meaning to rule or direct.
reign (English): The exercise of sovereign power; The period...
Definitions
- The exercise of sovereign power; The period...
Ancestry of “reign”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | regnen | to reign; to rule |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | regner | — |
| 3 | Old French | reignier | to reign |
| 4 | Latin | regno | dative masculine singular of rēgnum; ablative... |
| 5 | Latin | regnum | royal power, power, control, kingdom, reign;... |
| 6 | Latin | rēx | king, ruler |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | rēks | king |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃rḗǵs | king, ruler |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃reǵ- | to straighten, to right oneself; right; just |