Etymograph

English

rule

Rule comes from Middle English reule, from Old French riule, from Latin regula ‘straight stick’, from regō ‘to keep straight’, ultimately from PIE *h₃reǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-1‘to straighten’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵeti2‘to straighten’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregō2‘to keep straight’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregula2‘straight stick’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400riule2
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500reule2
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1601–1602rule2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English rule
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1601–1602, William Shakespeare, Twelfe Night, or What You Will: “This uncivil rule; she shall know of it.”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti‘to straighten’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵetiWiktionary, English rule‘to straighten’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregōWiktionary, English rule‘to keep straight’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregulaWiktionary, English rule‘straight stick’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400riuleWiktionary, English rule
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500reuleWiktionary, English rule
  7. Englishearliest quotation c. 1601–1602ruleWiktionary, English rule. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1601–1602, William Shakespeare, Twelfe Night, or What You Will: “This uncivil rule; she shall know of it.”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’

right, real, rich, royal, correct, rank, arrangement, roy, radar, arrange, rack, rex, rogue, interrogation, raj, rake, dresser, rector, regal, regency, rajah, 85 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti ‘to straighten’

anorexia, 42 more

through Proto-Italic *regō

regional, resource, directory, regiment, regimen, 39 more

through Latin regō ‘to keep straight, direct, govern, rule’

director, source, region, direction, address, direct, dress, regime, realm, resurrection, erect, regent, insurrection, rectify, 59 more

through Latin regula ‘straight stick, bar, ruler, pattern’

regular, regulate, 8 more

Another origin of rule

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-‘to straighten’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵeti‘to straighten’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*regōreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregō‘to rule, govern’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregula‘a rule’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregulāre‘to regulate, rule’
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400riuler
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500reulen‘to rule’
  9. Englishtodayrule

Today it means

noun A regulation, law, guideline.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “rule”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti. 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- / rule

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