English
regulate
Regulate comes from Latin regulatus ‘regulated, having been regulated’, from rēgula ‘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‘to rule, govern’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēgula3‘rule’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregulō4‘to direct, rule, regulate’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregulatus4‘regulated, having been regulated’perfect passive participle of regulō
- Englishearliest quotation 1834–1874regulate4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin regula
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin regulo
- 4 Wiktionary, English regulate
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1834–1874, George Bancroft, History of the United States: “The herdsmen near the frontier adjudicated their own disputes,…”.
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, Latin regula‘to rule, govern’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēgulaWiktionary, Latin regulo‘rule’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregulōWiktionary, English regulate‘to direct, rule, regulate’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregulatusWiktionary, English regulate‘regulated, having been regulated’perfect passive participle of regulō
- Englishearliest quotation 1834–1874regulateWiktionary, English regulate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1834–1874, George Bancroft, History of the United States: “The herdsmen near the frontier adjudicated their own disputes,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’
right, real, rich, royal, correct, rank, arrangement, roy, radar, arrange, rack, rogue, rex, raj, rake, interrogation, dresser, rector, rani, regal, regency, undress, rajah, dressage, rhesus, eldritch, riel, dirigible, derailleur, rectilinear, retch, interregnum, 75 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti ‘to straighten’
through Proto-Italic *regō
regional, resource, directory, regiment, regimen, erectile, erectus, erector, 36 more
through Latin regō ‘to rule, govern’
source, director, direction, address, direct, region, dress, regime, realm, ruler, resurrection, erect, regent, insurrection, rectify, rectum, incorrigible, droit, dirge, rectification, recto, rectitude, rectus, derecho, corregidor, regio, 47 more
through Latin rēgula ‘rule’
Today it means
verb To dictate policy.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “regulate”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin rego, Latin regula, Latin regulo. 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- / regulate