English
riel
Riel comes from Portuguese real ‘former currency of Portugal’, from Old Galician-Portuguese real ‘royal’, 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*h₃rḗǵs1‘ruler, king’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rēks1‘king’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēx1‘king’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēgālis1‘royal’
- Old Galician-Portuguesec. 1100–1500real1‘royal’
- Portuguesec. 1500–presentreal2‘former currency of Portugal’
- Khmermodernរៀល3
- Englishtodayriel3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Portuguese real
- 2 Wiktionary, Khmer រៀល
- 3 Wiktionary, English riel
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-Wiktionary, Portuguese real‘to straighten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃rḗǵsWiktionary, Portuguese real‘ruler, king’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rēksWiktionary, Portuguese real‘king’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēxWiktionary, Portuguese real‘king’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēgālisWiktionary, Portuguese real‘royal’
- Old Galician-Portuguesec. 1100–1500realWiktionary, Portuguese real‘royal’
- Portuguesec. 1500–presentrealWiktionary, Khmer រៀល‘former currency of Portugal’
- KhmermodernរៀលWiktionary, English riel
- EnglishtodayrielWiktionary, English riel
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’
right, director, source, region, regular, rule, direction, address, direct, correct, dress, rank, regime, arrangement, radar, realm, arrange, rack, ana, rogue, regulate, royalty, resurrection, interrogation, raj, erect, regent, rake, rector, riches, regency, insurrection, rectify, anorexia, richness, rectum, rhesus, rectification, droit, dirge, 95 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs ‘ruler, king’
rich, rani, rajah, eldritch, 7 more
through Latin rēx ‘king’
through Latin rēgālis ‘royal’
through Portuguese real ‘former currency of Portugal’
Today it means
noun The monetary unit of Cambodia, equivalent to 100 sen or 10 kak. Symbol: ៛
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “riel”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Portuguese real, Khmer រៀល. 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- / riel