Etymologically
Log in

reign

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:52. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɹeɪ̯n/[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English regne, reyne, borrowed from Old French reigne (“kingdom, land”),[2][3][4] from Latin rēgnum (“kingship, dominion, realm”),[2][3] related to regere, to rule, and rēx, king (see regal),[2][3][5] from PIE Proto-Indo-European *reg- (“to move in a straight line; to lead, rule”).[2] The spelling with i appeared before 1387 but did not prevail until well into the 1600s.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A kingdom, a state governed by a monarch: probably about 1225, in King Horn;[3] royal power or rule, before 1272 in the OED.[6]

Semantic evolution

Trench notes that reign was once the concrete kingdom as well as the abstract rule, quoting the Romaunt of the Rose.[7] The kingdom sense is now obsolete.[2][6] The period of a monarch's rule is from about 1330 (the mid-14th century),[6][2] and sovereignty or royal authority from the late 14th century.[2] The influence or sway of something immaterial is from about 1402,[6] and power like a king's from 1725.[2] The verb, to hold royal power, is from the late 13th century,[2] and of customs or vices, to prevail, from the early 14th.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1225 – a kingdom (obsolete).[3]
  • before 1272 – royal power.[6]
  • late 13th century – the verb.[2]
  • c. 1330 – a period of rule.[6]
  • 1600s – the spelling reign established.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The period during which a monarch rules.
  2. Royal power or rule.
  3. Dominance or widespread influence: a reign of terror.

Verb

  1. To rule as a monarch, or hold the title of monarch.
  2. To be dominant or widespread: confusion reigned.

Word family

  • outreign
  • reign of terror

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Trench, Richard Chenevix (1859), A Select Glossary of English Words Used Formerly in Senses Different from Their Present, London: John W. Parker