English
regiment
Regiment comes from Late Latin regimentum ‘direction for government’, from Latin regō ‘rule’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-1‘to straighten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵeti1‘to straighten’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*regō1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregō2‘rule’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEregimentum2‘direction for government’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600regement2
- Englishearliest quotation 1576regiment2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix
- 2 Wiktionary, English regiment
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1576, Abraham Fleming, A Panoplie of Epistles: “What place is there in all the world, not…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-Wiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix‘to straighten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵetiWiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix‘to straighten’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*regōWiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rixreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregōWiktionary, English regiment‘rule’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEregimentumWiktionary, English regiment‘direction for government’
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600regementWiktionary, English regiment
- Englishearliest quotation 1576regimentWiktionary, English regiment. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1576, Abraham Fleming, A Panoplie of Epistles: “What place is there in all the world, not…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’
right, real, rich, royal, correct, regular, rank, roy, radar, arrange, rack, rogue, rex, raj, interrogation, rake, dresser, rector, rani, regal, regency, undress, rajah, dressage, rhesus, eldritch, riel, derailleur, rectilinear, dirigible, retch, interregnum, 76 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti ‘to straighten’
through Proto-Italic *regō
resource, regional, ruler, directory, erectile, erectus, erector, 37 more
through Latin regō ‘rule’
source, director, rule, direction, address, direct, dress, region, realm, resurrection, regulate, erect, insurrection, rectify, rectum, regent, droit, rectification, dirge, incorrigible, irregularity, recto, rectitude, rectus, derecho, regula, corregidor, regio, 47 more
Today it means
noun A unit of armed troops under the command of an officer, and consisting of several smaller units.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “regiment”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin rego. 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- / regiment