règle French · revision 16724

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1200, Moralités sur Job|origins=la regō}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ʁɛɡl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''règle''' ''f'' (plural règles)^(Wiktionary)

+ Old French ''reugle'' (12th century), ''regle'' (about 1265), often ''rigle'' in the 14th century.^(DHLF 1992)^(Grand Robert 2005)

+ The spelling ''règle'' replaced ''regle'' in the Académie's dictionary of 1740.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la|rēgula|t=straightedge, ruler; standard, rule; rod, bar]],^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Grand Robert 2005)^(FEW|10, 219a) from [[m|la|regō|t=to guide, direct]] (see [[régir]]).^(DHLF 1992)^(GLLF 1989) This learned form drove out the older ones handed down from the same Latin word:^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992) [[m|fro|riule]] (1119, “moral precept”; about 1170, “straightedge”), which did not survive the Middle Ages but gave [[en|rule]],^(TLFi)^(Bloch & Wartburg 1989)^(Wiktionary) and the popular [[m|fro|reille|t=lath, board; door bar]], source of [[en|rail]].^(TLFi)^(Wiktionary) Another old outcome, [[m|fro|rille]] “strip of bacon”, lives on in [[rillettes]] and [[rillons]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+

+ Compare [[it|regola]], [[oc|regla]], [[ca|regla]], [[es|regla]], [[pt|regra]] and [[de|Regel]].^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Littré 1873)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ About 1200 the ''Moralités sur Job'' use it for a principle or maxim that guides conduct, and the ''Dialogue Grégoire'' speaks of ''la riugle des moines'', the rule of a religious order.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ In the 17th century the word took the narrower sense of a prescription grounded in custom (Pascal, before 1662), whence ''dans les règles'' (1688, Racine), ''en règle'' (1740) and ''de règle'' (about 1780).^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) From 1538 it is used of the precepts of a science or craft, then of the arts (''règles classiques'', 1660) and grammar (1690), and in the plural of the rules of a game (1538, ''la règle du jeu'', 1921).^(DHLF 1992) In mathematics it names the ''règle de trois'' (1520) and ''les quatre règles'' (1690).^(DHLF 1992)^(TLFi) ''C'est une rigle generalle'' (1458) shows the sense “what usually happens”, ''l'exception confirme la règle'' is recorded in 1870.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+

+ The instrument for ruling lines is ''règle'' again from 1317, after the older ''riule''; the slide rule, ''règle à calcul'', appears in 1845.^(TLFi) Furetière (1690) records ''règles'' “menstrual periods”.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1119 – The older form ''riule'', Philippe de Thaon.^(TLFi)

+ * c. 1200 – ''Regle'' for a guiding principle and a monastic rule.^(TLFi)

+ * 1317 – The ruler for drawing lines.^(TLFi)

+ * 1520 – ''La regle de trois''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1538 – Rules of a science or craft; rules of a game.^(DHLF 1992)

+ * 1688 – ''Dans les règles'', Racine.^(TLFi)

+ * 1690 – ''Règles'' “menstrual periods”, Furetière.^(TLFi)

+ * 1740 – ''Se mettre en règle'', Académie; the spelling ''règle''.^(TLFi)

+ * 1845 – ''Règle à calcul''.^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|ruler]], straightedge: ''tracer un trait à la règle'', ''règle à calcul'', a slide rule.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A [[m|en|rule]], principle or [[m|en|precept]] that governs conduct, thought or a practice: ''les règles de la grammaire'', ''les règles du jeu''.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(Wiktionary)

+ # The rule of a religious order: ''la règle de saint Benoît''.^(TLFi)^(Petit Robert 2007)

+ # What normally happens: ''en règle générale'', ''l'exception confirme la règle''.^(TLFi)^(DHLF 1992)

+ # ''En règle'': in order, as required, ''être en règle'', to have one's papers in order, ''dans les règles'', properly.^(Petit Robert 2007)^(TLFi)

+ # ''(mathematics)'' An arithmetic operation: ''règle de trois''.^(TLFi)

+ # ''Règles'' (plural): menstrual [[m|en|period]], menses.^(Wiktionary)^(TLFi)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[régler]]

+ * [[réglette]]

+ * [[dérégler]]

+ * [[règlement]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[régir]]

+ * [[régulier]]

+ * [[rillettes]]

+ * [[la|regula]]

+ * [[en|rule]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}