Etymograph

English

ruler

Ruler comes from Middle English reuler ‘ruler, leader, governor’, from reule ‘legal code, set of rules’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-1‘to straighten’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵeti1‘to straighten’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*regō1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregō2‘to rule, govern’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēgula3
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400reule3‘rule’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500reule4‘legal code, set of rules’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500reuler5‘ruler, leader, governor’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1914ruler5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin regula
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Middle English reule
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Middle English reuler
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English ruler
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1914, Ernest Bramah: “Take this ruler. […] I want you to measure…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-Wiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix‘to straighten’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃réǵetiWiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rix‘to straighten’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*regōWiktionary, Latin rego, which cites Rixreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEregōWiktionary, Latin regula‘to rule, govern’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēgulaWiktionary, Middle English reule
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400reuleWiktionary, Middle English reule‘rule’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500reuleWiktionary, Middle English reuler‘legal code, set of rules’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500reulerWiktionary, English ruler‘ruler, leader, governor’
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1914rulerWiktionary, English ruler. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1914, Ernest Bramah: “Take this ruler. […] I want you to measure…”

Linked words

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

right, real, rich, royal, correct, rank, arrangement, roy, radar, arrange, rack, rex, rogue, raj, interrogation, rake, rector, regal, regency, dresser, rani, undress, dressage, rajah, rhesus, eldritch, rectilinear, riel, retch, interregnum, dirigible, derailleur, 74 more

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

ana, anorexia, 41 more

through Proto-Italic *regō

regional, resource, directory, regiment, regimen, erectile, erectus, erector, 36 more

through Latin regō ‘to rule, govern’

director, source, region, direction, address, direct, dress, regime, realm, resurrection, regent, erect, insurrection, rectify, rectum, rectification, droit, irregularity, dirge, incorrigible, recto, rectus, rectitude, regio, corregidor, derecho, 47 more

through Latin rēgula

regular, regulate, regula, 7 more

Today it means

noun A (usually rigid), flat, rectangular measuring or drawing device with graduations in units of measurement; a straightedge with markings.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “ruler”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Latin rego, Latin regula, Middle English reule, Middle English reuler. 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- / ruler

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