English Online Dictionary. What means regular? What does regular mean?
English
Etymology
From Middle English reguler, from Anglo-Norman reguler, Middle French reguler, regulier, and their source, Latin rēgulāris (“continuing rules for guidance”), from rēgula (“rule”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *reg- (“move in a straight line”).
Pronunciation
- (UK) enPR: regʹyo͝olər IPA(key): /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.lə/
- (US) enPR: regʹyələr, regʹlər, IPA(key): /ˈɹɛɡ.jə.lɚ/, /ˈɹɛɡ.l̩ɚ/, [ˈɹɛɡ.jɪ̈.lɚ], [ˈɹɛɡ.l̩ɚ]
- (US) Hyphenation: reg‧u‧lar
- Rhymes: -ɛɡjʊlə(ɹ), -ɛɡjələ(ɹ), -ɛɡələ(ɹ)
Adjective
regular (comparative more regular, superlative most regular)
- (Christianity) Bound by religious rule; belonging to a monastic or religious order (often as opposed to secular). [from 14th c.]
- Having a constant pattern; showing evenness of form or appearance. [from 15th c.]
- Synonyms: equable, uniform, unvarying; see also Thesaurus:steady
- Antonyms: chaotic, irregular; see also Thesaurus:unsteady
- (geometry, of a polygon) Both equilateral and equiangular; having all sides of the same length, and all (corresponding) angles of the same size [from 16th c.]
- (geometry, of a polyhedron) Whose faces are all congruent regular polygons, equally inclined to each other.
- Demonstrating a consistent set of rules; showing order, evenness of operation or occurrence. [from 16th c.]
- Synonyms: in order, ruly, tidy; see also Thesaurus:orderly
- Antonyms: chaotic, tumultuous; see also Thesaurus:disorderly
- (astronomy) Of a moon or other satellite: following a relatively close and prograde orbit with little inclination or eccentricity.
- (now rare) Well-behaved, orderly; restrained (of a lifestyle etc.). [from 16th c.]
- Synonyms: decent, seemly, well-mannered
- Antonyms: degenerate, irregular
- Happening at constant (especially short) intervals. [from 17th c.]
- Synonyms: cyclical, frequent; see also Thesaurus:periodic
- Antonyms: irregular, noncyclic
- (grammar, of a verb, plural, etc) Following a set or common pattern; according to the normal rules of a given language. [from 17th c.]
- Synonym: (verbs) weak
- Antonyms: irregular, (verbs) strong
- (chiefly US) Having the expected characteristics or appearances; normal, ordinary, standard. [from 17th c.]
- Synonyms: basic, common, unremarkable; see also Thesaurus:normal, Thesaurus:common
- Antonyms: irregular, outlandish, weird; see also Thesaurus:strange
- (chiefly military) Permanently organised; being part of a set professional body of troops. [from 17th c.]
- Antonym: irregular
- Having bowel movements or menstrual periods at constant intervals in the expected way. [from 18th c.]
- (colloquial) Exemplary; excellent example of; utter, downright. [from 18th c.]
- Synonyms: absolute, thorough, unalloyed; see also Thesaurus:total
- (botany, zoology) Having all the parts of the same kind alike in size and shape.
- (crystallography) Isometric.
- (snowboarding) Riding with the left foot forward.
- Antonym: goofy
- (mathematical analysis, not comparable, of a Borel measure) Such that every set in its domain is both outer regular and inner regular.
- (commutative algebra, not comparable, of a local ring) Noetherian and such that the minimal number of generators of the maximal ideal is equal to the Krull dimension of the ring.
- (algebraic geometry, not comparable, of a scheme) Such that the local ring at every point is regular.
- (obsolete, not comparable, of a ring) von Neumann regular: such that every left module (over the given ring) is flat.
- Synonym: absolutely flat
Antonyms
- irregular
- non-regular, nonregular
Coordinate terms
- (snowboarding): switch
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
Adverb
regular (not comparable)
- (archaic, dialect, nonstandard) Regularly, on a regular basis.
Noun
regular (plural regulars)
- A member of the British Army (as opposed to a member of the Territorial Army or Reserve).
- A frequent, routine visitor to an establishment.
- A member of an armed forces or police force.
- A frequent customer, client or business partner.
- (Canada) A coffee with one cream and one sugar.
- Anything that is normal or standard.
- A member of a religious order who has taken the three ordinary vows.
- A number for each year, giving, added to the concurrents, the number of the day of the week on which the Paschal full moon falls.
- A fixed number for each month serving to ascertain the day of the week, or the age of the moon, on the first day of any month.
Synonyms
- (routine visitor): frequenter, habitué, patron, usual suspects
Antonyms
- non-regular, nonregular
Translations
References
- “regular”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
- “regular”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
Asturian
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Late Latin rēgulāris.
Adjective
regular (epicene, plural regulares)
- regular
- fine, OK, average
Related terms
- regularidá
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Latin rēgulāre, present active infinitive of rēgulō. Compare the doublet reglar, borrowed earlier from the same source.
Verb
regular (first-person singular indicative present regulo, past participle reguláu)
- to regulate
Conjugation
Catalan
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Late Latin rēgulāris.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (Central) [rə.ɣuˈlar]
- IPA(key): (Balearic) [rə.ɣuˈla]
- IPA(key): (Valencian) [re.ɣuˈlaɾ]
- Rhymes: -aɾ
Adjective
regular m or f (masculine and feminine plural regulars)
- regular (having a constant pattern)
- Antonym: irregular
- normal, average
- (geometry) regular (both equilateral and equiangular)
- Antonym: irregular
Derived terms
- regularitat
- regularitzar
- regularment
Related terms
- irregular
- regla
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Latin rēgulāre.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): (Central, Balearic) [rə.ɣuˈla]
- IPA(key): (Valencian) [re.ɣuˈlaɾ]
- Rhymes: -a(ɾ)
Verb
regular (first-person singular present regulo, first-person singular preterite regulí, past participle regulat)
- (transitive) to regulate
Conjugation
Derived terms
- regulador
Related terms
- regulació
Further reading
- “regular” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
- “regular”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
- “regular” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “regular” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Galician
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [reɣuˈlaɾ]
Etymology 1
Attested since circa 1300. Borrowed from Late Latin rēgulāris.
Adjective
regular m or f (plural regulares)
- regular
- average
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Latin rēgulō.
Verb
regular (first-person singular present regulo, first-person singular preterite regulei, past participle regulado)
- to regulate
- to tune (an engine)
Conjugation
References
- “regular” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
- “regular” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006–2018.
- “regular” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
- “regular” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
- “regular” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.
Portuguese
Etymology 1
Learned borrowing from Late Latin rēgulāris.
Pronunciation
- Hyphenation: re‧gu‧lar
Adjective
regular m or f (plural regulares, comparable, comparative mais regular, superlative o mais regular or regularíssimo)
- regular
- average
Derived terms
- irregular
- regularmente
Etymology 2
Learned borrowing from Latin rēgulāre. Compare the doublet regrar, borrowed earlier from the same source.
Pronunciation
- Hyphenation: re‧gu‧lar
Verb
regular (first-person singular present regulo, first-person singular preterite regulei, past participle regulado)
- to regulate
- to tune (an engine)
- to set (a watch, clock)
Conjugation
Derived terms
- regulável
Related terms
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin rēgulāris. By surface analysis, regulă + -ar.
Adjective
regular m or n (feminine singular regulară, masculine plural regulari, feminine and neuter plural regulare)
- regular
Declension
Further reading
- regular in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language)
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /reɡuˈlaɾ/ [re.ɣ̞uˈlaɾ]
- Rhymes: -aɾ
- Syllabification: re‧gu‧lar
Etymology 1
Borrowed from Late Latin rēgulāris.
Adjective
regular m or f (masculine and feminine plural regulares)
- regular, steady, even
- fair, fairly good, average
- common, ordinary, middling, so-so
- (grammar) regular
Derived terms
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Latin rēgulāre.
Verb
regular (first-person singular present regulo, first-person singular preterite regulé, past participle regulado)
- to regulate
- to control
- to adjust
- to put in order
Conjugation
Related terms
Further reading
- “regular”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014
Tagalog
Etymology
Borrowed from Spanish regular.
Pronunciation
- Hyphenation: re‧gu‧lar
- IPA(key): /ɾeɡuˈlaɾ/, [ɾɛ.ɣʊˈlaɾ]
Adjective
regulár (Baybayin spelling ᜇᜒᜄᜓᜎᜇ᜔)
- regular; usual; ordinary
- Synonyms: karaniwan, pangkaraniwan
- habitual; steady; permanent
- Synonyms: pirmihan, palagian
- uniform; not changing
- customary; usual
- Synonyms: katamtaman, kainaman
Derived terms
Related terms
Further reading
- “regular”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018