regentia

Forms

regentia f (genitive regentiae); first declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin regō (“to rule, direct”), according to the TLL;^[1] Etymonline derives it from regēns (“ruling”), the present participle of that verb.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL records it in a Latin version of church council acts, for the jurisdiction of a see over provinces;^[1] the dated record begins in the 13th century, when Niermeyer has it for a teaching post.^[3]

Semantic evolution

In the Latin acts of a church council it meant the government of provinces by the sees of Antioch and Jerusalem.^[1] In the medieval universities it was the office of a regent master, and regentia necessaria the compulsory teaching due in the year after inception.^[4][3] Royal letters of Charles VI use it for holding an office for a time,^[5] and a later British author uses it for political rule.^[4] English borrowed regency in the early 15th century.^[2]

Timeline

• 13th century – Niermeyer records it for a professorship.^[3]
• c. 1380 – An Oxford formulary recommends a master for support during his regency.^[4]
• 1418 – A letter of Charles VI uses it for the temporary holding of an office.^[5]
• 1423 – It appears with necessarius for compulsory teaching.^[4]
• early 15th century – English borrows it as regencie.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Late Latin) Government, jurisdiction, of a church see over provinces.^[1]
2. (Medieval Latin) The holding of an office for a time, temporary administration.^[5]
3. (Medieval Latin, universities) The office of a regent master, regency;^[4][3] regentia necessaria, the compulsory teaching after inception.^[4][3]
4. (Medieval Latin) Political rule, dominion.^[4]

Related words

• regens
• rego
• English regency

References

1. ^ a b c d e Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
2. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
4. ^ a b c d e f g Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b c du Cange, Charles du Fresne, et al. (1883–1887), Glossarium mediae et infimae latinitatis, augmented ed. by Léopold Favre, Niort: L. Favre