English
interregnum
Interregnum comes from Latin interrēgnum, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér ‘between’, and ultimately from *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-1‘to straighten’root named by Wiktionary
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁én2‘in’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁entér1‘between’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinterrēgnum1
- Englishearliest quotation 1831interregnum1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English interregnum
- 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1831, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley: “Is it not Pelham who wonders what becomes of…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-Wiktionary, English interregnum‘to straighten’root named by Wiktionary
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁énWiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér‘in’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁entérWiktionary, English interregnum‘between’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEinterrēgnumWiktionary, English interregnum
- Englishearliest quotation 1831interregnumWiktionary, English interregnum. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1831, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley: “Is it not Pelham who wonders what becomes of…”
The story
Learned borrowing from Latin interrēgnum, from inter- (prefix meaning ‘between’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér (‘between’)) + rēgnum (‘reign; royal power’) (nominalized from the neuter of *rēgnus, from rēx (“king; ruler”, oblique stem rēg-) + -nus (suffix forming adjectives), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (‘to righten; to straighten’)). The plural form interregna is a learned borrowing from Latin interrēgna.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’
right, real, source, director, rule, rich, royal, direction, address, direct, region, regular, dress, correct, rank, roy, radar, arrangement, regime, rack, ana, rogue, arrange, rex, raj, resurrection, regulate, rake, rector, erect, rectify, anorexia, interrogation, regal, rani, regent, regency, insurrection, rajah, rectum, 105 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁én ‘in’
in, entrance, indigenous, encounter, ensemble, impulse, intimate, incense, incubation, endo, intestine, dysentery, incubus, impel, incubate, agog, intimation, censer, enteral, 32 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér ‘between’
Today it means
noun A period of time between the end of one monarch's reign and the accession of their successor.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “interregnum”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Proto-Indo-European *h₁entér. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- / interregnum