ruler

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɹuː.lə/, /ˈɹuːl.ə/; /ˈɹuːlə/ (UK); /ˈɹulɚ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English reuler, from the verb reulen with -er,^[2][3] and partly, in the sense of a measuring strip, from the noun rule with -er;^[4] compare Old French rigleoir.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Both a person who rules and a straight-edged strip for drawing lines appear before 1382 in the early Wycliffite Bible.^[4] Etymonline dates the measuring sense to about 1400.^[3]

Semantic evolution

The governing sense soon widened to anyone who manages something within a limited sphere (1387), now merged with the main sense,^[4] and to something with a controlling influence (1398),^[4] including, in astrology, a planet dominating a sign or person (about 1558).^[4] The older word for the drawing instrument was rule itself.^[3] A worker who ruled lines on paper is from 1692,^[4] and a line in a word-processing screen from 1980.^[4]

Timeline

• a. 1382 – one who rules; a straight-edge for lines.^[4]
• a. 1387 – one who manages a limited sphere.^[4]
• c. 1558 – a ruling planet, in astrology.^[4]
• 1692 – a person who rules lines on paper.^[4]
• 1980 – a line in a computer layout.^[4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A person who rules or governs, such as a sovereign.
2. A strip of wood, metal or plastic with a straight edge, marked in units, for measuring and drawing straight lines.

Word family

• subruler
• home ruler

Related words

• rule
• regular
• regulate

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press