Etymologically
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régler

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 14:02. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ʁe.ɡle/[1]

Forms

régler[1] The Académie wrote regler in 1694 and 1718, régler from 1740.[2] Old French also had ruiler, rieuler, and in the 14th century the learned reguler.[3]

Etymology

It is formed from French règle + -er, from règle “ruler; rule”.[2][4][5][6] Wiktionary allows it to be borrowed from Latin rēgulō instead.[1] The noun is borrowed from Latin rēgula (“ruler, rule”), from regō (“to guide, rule”); it replaced the more popular form rieule, from which comes English rule.[5][3] The Old French verb from the same Latin was riuler.[3]

Cognate with Occitan reglar, Spanish reglar and Italian regolare.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Jean de Meun's Roman de la Rose (1269–78) uses it for governing someone or something: Jupiter, qui le monde regle.[2] A Champagne account of 1288 has it for ruling lines on parchment: pour parchemin et regler rolles et quaiers.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

Georges Chastellain (about 1470) has soy régler “to follow the example of” and réglé “disciplined”.[2] Robert Estienne (1538) has reigler sa vie, Corneille (1629) uses it for fixing something in detail, and, from 1654 it means to settle a dispute.[2][6][7] Furetière (1690) records “to pay what one owes”, whence régler son compte à quelqu'un “to settle someone's hash” (1887, Zola).[2] Applied to mechanisms, it is to adjust a clock or machine (late 17th century).[2] Papier réglé “ruled paper” dates from 1640, and réglée “menstruating” from 1575 (Ambroise Paré).[2]

Timeline

  • 1269–1278 – “To govern”, Jean de Meun.[2]
  • 1288 – To rule lines on parchment.[2]
  • c. 1470 – Se régler sur, Georges Chastellain.[2]
  • 1654 – To settle a dispute.[2]
  • 1690 – To pay a debt, Furetière.[2]
  • Late 17th century – To adjust a clock.[2]
  • 1887 – Régler son compte à quelqu'un, Zola.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To settle, resolve: régler un problème, un différend.[1][7]
  2. To pay: régler une facture, l'addition; to pay (someone).[1][2]
  3. To adjust, set: régler une montre, le chauffage.[1][2]
  4. To arrange, fix in detail: régler les détails d'une cérémonie.[2][7]
  5. Régler sur: to model on: régler sa conduite sur quelqu'un, se régler sur.[7][1]
  6. To rule lines on (paper): papier réglé.[7][1]
  7. (familiar) Régler son compte à quelqu'un: to settle someone's hash.[2][1]

Word family

  • réglage
  • règlement
  • réglementer
  • réglable
  • régleur
  • dérégler

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert