Etymology

regent

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Today it means: One who rules in place of the monarch, especially because the monarch is too young, absent, or disabled. Full definition →

First used 15th c.Middle English regent ← Anglo-Norman regent ← Middle French regent
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromregēns“ruling; ruler, governor, prince”
  2. Middle French · derived fromregent
  3. Anglo-Norman · derived fromregent
  4. Middle English · inherited fromregent
  5. English todayregent

From Middle English regent, from Anglo-Norman regent, Middle French regent, and their source, Latin regēns (“ruling; ruler, governor, prince”), present participle of regō (“to govern, to steer”).

Words from the same roots

Latinregēns all →

regency

First known use, by meaning

  • from 15th c. One who rules in place of the monarch, especially because the monarch is too young, absent, or disabled.
  • from 15th c. Any ruler.
  • from 16th c. A member of a municipal or civic body of governors, especially in certain European cities.
  • from 18th c. A member of governing board of a college or university; also a governor of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.