Etymograph

English

regard

Regard comes from Middle English regard, from Anglo-Norman reguard, from Old French regarder ‘to look at’.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400regarder1
  2. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400reguard1
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500regard1
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1599regard1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English regard
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, William Shakespeare, The Life of Henry the Fift: “Dolph. For the Dolphin, I stand here for him:…”.

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400regarderWiktionary, English regard
  2. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400reguardWiktionary, English regard
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500regardWiktionary, English regard
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1599regardWiktionary, English regard. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, William Shakespeare, The Life of Henry the Fift: “Dolph. For the Dolphin, I stand here for him:…”

The story

Attested in Middle English starting around the mid 14th century. Piecewise doublet of reward; compare also guard, ward, guardian, and so on.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to burn’

wear, con, guard, garage, ward, worm, warn, verge, optic, weir, panorama, garrison, beware, malware, reverence, vermin, ware, wry, revere, vermilion, prosaic, diorama, guaranty, milliner, vermicelli, vermeil, vermiculite, varmint, 67 more

Another origin of regard

  1. Early Medieval Latinmodernwardāreuncertain
  2. Old Frenchc. 842–1400guarder‘to look at’uncertain
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400reguarderas regarder‘to look at’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500regarden
  5. Englishtodayregard

First attested in late Middle English, circa the early 15th century.

Today it means

noun A steady look, a gaze.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “regard”. 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 / Old French regarder / regard

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