regular

See also: regulär

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

    From Middle English reguler, from Anglo-Norman reguler, Middle French reguler, regulier, and their source, Latin rēgulāris (“continuing rules for guidance”), from rēgula (“rule”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“move in a straight line”).

    Pronunciation

    • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: regʹyo͝olər, IPA(key): /ˈɹɛɡjʊlə/
    • (US) enPR: regʹyələr, regʹlər, IPA(key): /ˈɹɛɡjəlɚ/, [ˈɹɛɡjɪ̈lɚ]; /ˈɹɛɡl̩ɚ/, [ˈɹɛɡl̩ɚ] (reg'lar)
      • Audio (General American):(file)
      • Audio (US):(file)
    • (Scotland) IPA(key): /ˈɾɛɡjʉləɾ/, /ˈɾɛɡjələɾ/
    • (US) Hyphenation: reg‧u‧lar
    • Rhymes: -ɛɡjʊlə(ɹ), -ɛɡjələ(ɹ), -ɛɡələ(ɹ)

    Adjective

    regular (comparative more regular, superlative most regular)

    1. (Christianity) Bound by religious rule; belonging to a monastic or religious order (often as opposed to secular). [from 14th c.]
      regular clergy, in distinction from the secular clergy
      • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 201:
        A quarter of a million strong in 1680, the clergy was only half as large in 1789. The unpopular regular clergy were the worst affected.
    2. Having a constant pattern; showing evenness of form or appearance. [from 15th c.]
      Synonyms: equable, uniform, unvarying; see also Thesaurus:steady
      Antonyms: chaotic, irregular; see also Thesaurus:unsteady
    3. (geometry, of a polygon) Both equilateral and equiangular; having all sides of the same length, and all (corresponding) angles of the same size [from 16th c.]
    4. (geometry, of a polyhedron) Whose faces are all congruent regular polygons, equally inclined to each other.
    5. Demonstrating a consistent set of rules; showing order, evenness of operation or occurrence. [from 16th c.]
      Synonyms: in order, ruly, tidy; see also Thesaurus:orderly
      Antonyms: chaotic, tumultuous; see also Thesaurus:disorderly
      • 2011 April 12, A[lison] L[ouise] Kennedy, The Guardian:
        April may be the cruellest month, but I am planning to render it civilised and to take my antibiotics in a regular manner.
    6. (astronomy) Of a moon or other satellite: following a relatively close and prograde orbit with little inclination or eccentricity.
    7. (now rare) Well-behaved, orderly; restrained (of a lifestyle etc.). [from 16th c.]
      Synonyms: decent, seemly, well-mannered
      Antonyms: degenerate, irregular
    8. Happening at constant (especially short) intervals. [from 17th c.]
      Synonyms: cyclical, frequent; see also Thesaurus:periodic
      Antonyms: irregular, noncyclic
      He made regular visits to go see his mother.
    9. (grammar) Of a verb, plural, etc., following a set or common pattern; according to the general rules of a given language. [from 17th c.]
      Synonym: (verbs) weak
      Antonyms: irregular, (verbs) strong
      "Walked" is the past tense of the regular verb "to walk".
    10. (chiefly US) Having the expected characteristics or appearances; normal, ordinary, standard. [from 17th c.]
      Synonyms: basic, common, unremarkable; see also Thesaurus:normal, Thesaurus:common
      Antonyms: irregular, outlandish, weird; see also Thesaurus:strange
      • 1868-69, Louisa May Alcott, chapter 21, in Little Women‎[1], part 1:
        “I don’t see how you can write and act such splendid things, Jo. You’re a regular Shakespeare!” exclaimed Beth, who firmly believed that her sisters were gifted with wonderful genius in all things.
    11. (chiefly military) Permanently organised; being part of a set professional body of troops. [from 17th c.]
      Antonym: irregular
    12. (gastroenterology, gynaecology) Having normal bowel movements or menstrual periods at constant intervals. [from 18th c.]
      Antonym: irregular
      Maintaining a high-fibre diet keeps one regular.
      • 2015, Bill Bryson, The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes from a Small Island, page 206:
        Gulls cawed and wheeled overhead, dropping splatty white cluster bombs on rooftops and pavements. Goodness knows what those gulls eat, but it certainly keeps them regular.
    13. (colloquial) Exemplary; excellent example of; utter, downright. [from 18th c.]
      Synonyms: absolute, thorough, unalloyed; see also Thesaurus:total
      a regular genius; a regular John Bull
    14. (botany, zoology) Having all the parts of the same kind alike in size and shape.
      a regular flower; a regular sea urchin
    15. (crystallography) Isometric.
    16. (snowboarding) Riding with the left foot forward.
      Antonym: goofy
    17. (mathematical analysis, not comparable, of a Borel measure) Such that every set in its domain is both outer regular and inner regular.
    18. (commutative algebra, not comparable, of a local ring) Noetherian and such that the minimal number of generators of the maximal ideal is equal to the Krull dimension of the ring.
    19. (algebraic geometry, not comparable, of a scheme) Such that the local ring at every point is regular.
    20. (obsolete, not comparable, of a ring) A von Neumann regular: such that every left module (over the given ring) is flat.
      Synonym: absolutely flat

    Antonyms

    Coordinate terms

    Derived terms

    Translations

    See also

    • register (not etymologically related but has semantic associations)

    Adverb

    regular (not comparable)

    1. (archaic, dialect, nonstandard) Regularly, on a regular basis.
      • 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
        Though no minister would visit the Skerburnfoot, or, if he went, departed quicker than he came, the girl Ailie attended regular at the catechising at the mains of Sker.
      • 1946, William Hatfield, Buffalo Jim, Oxford: Geoffrey Cumberlege, page 47:
        "There's only twenty men staying in the house regular," said Ahearne, showing him around[.]
      • 1961, Colin Thiele, The Sun on the Stubble, Melbourne: Rigby Limited, page 113:
        "Drain her every thousand, regular. Don't do it myself, o' course; just drop her in at the lubritorium."
      • 1988, Mary Steele, Mallyroot's Pub at Misery Ponds, Ringwood: Puffin Books, page 37:
        "All we've got to do is stick 'em in the bedroom and feed 'em regular."

    Noun

    regular (plural regulars)

    1. A member of the British Army (as opposed to a member of the Territorial Army or Reserve).
    2. A frequent, routine visitor to an establishment.
      Synonyms: frequenter, habitué, patron, usual suspects
      Bartenders usually know their regulars by name.
    3. A member of the armed forces or police force.
      1. (Singapore) Synonym of regular serviceman; a member of the Singapore Armed Forces, Police Force or Civil Defence Force who has signed on, i.e., chosen to work full-time beyond their required length of national service.
        • 2004, Ong Lay Jinn, 00:24:49 from the start, in Perth: The Geylang Massacre:
          Boss, this is the situation. They were regulars in the army. They’ve left the army and are taxi drivers now. He was a commando and he was a state boxer. They don’t earn much and there’s no end.
    4. A frequent customer, client or business partner.
      This gentleman was one of the architect's regulars.
    5. (television) A character who appears in every episode of a TV series; a member of the regular cast.
      • 2013, Ray Morton, A Quick Guide to Television Writing‎[2], Bloomsbury, →ISBN:
        When it comes to regulars, some shows feature ensemble casts in which all the characters are more or less equal and the focus of the show shifts from one member of the ensemble to another from episode to episode.
    6. (Canada) A coffee with one cream and one sugar.
    7. Anything that is normal or standard.
      • 2011, Jamie MacLennan, ZhaoHui Tang, Bogdan Crivat, Data Mining with Microsoft SQL Server 2008:
        You separate the marbles by color until you have four groups, but then you notice that some of the marbles are regulars, some are shooters, and some are peewees.
    8. A member of a religious order who has taken the three ordinary vows.
    9. A number for each year, giving, added to the concurrents, the number of the day of the week on which the Paschal full moon falls.
    10. A fixed number for each month serving to ascertain the day of the week, or the age of the moon, on the first day of any month.

    Antonyms

    Translations

    References

    Asturian

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /reɣuˈlaɾ/ [re.ɣuˈlaɾ]
    • Rhymes: -aɾ
    • Syllabification: re‧gu‧lar

    Etymology 1

    Borrowed from Late Latin rēgulāris.

    Adjective

    regular (epicene, plural regulares)

    1. regular
    2. fine, OK, average
    • regularidá

    Etymology 2

    Borrowed from Latin rēgulāre. Compare the doublet reglar, borrowed earlier from the same source.

    Verb

    regular (first-person singular indicative present regulo, past participle reguláu)

    1. to regulate
    Conjugation

    Catalan

    Etymology 1

    Borrowed from Late Latin rēgulāris.

    Pronunciation

    Adjective

    regular m or f (masculine and feminine plural regulars)

    1. regular (having a constant pattern)
      Antonym: irregular
    2. normal, average
    3. (geometry) regular (both equilateral and equiangular)
      Antonym: irregular
    Derived terms

    Etymology 2

    Borrowed from Latin rēgulāre.

    Pronunciation

    Verb

    regular (first-person singular present regulo, first-person singular preterite regulí, past participle regulat)

    1. (transitive) to regulate
    Conjugation
    Derived terms

    Further reading

    Galician

    Pronunciation

     
    • IPA(key): (standard) /reɡuˈlaɾ/ [re.ɣ̞uˈlaɾ]
    • IPA(key): (gheada) /reħuˈlaɾ/ [re.ħuˈlaɾ]

    • Rhymes: -aɾ
    • Hyphenation: re‧gu‧lar

    Etymology 1

    Attested since circa 1300. Borrowed from Late Latin rēgulāris.

    Adjective

    regular m or f (plural regulares)

    1. regular
    2. average
    Derived terms

    Etymology 2

      Learned borrowing from Latin rēgulō.

      Verb

      regular (first-person singular present regulo, first-person singular preterite regulei, past participle regulado)

      1. to regulate
      2. to tune (an engine)
      Conjugation

      References

      Portuguese

      Etymology 1

        Learned borrowing from Late Latin rēgulāris.

        Pronunciation

         
        • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ʁe.ɡuˈlaʁ/ [he.ɡuˈlah]
          • (São Paulo) IPA(key): /ʁe.ɡuˈlaɾ/ [he.ɡuˈlaɾ]
          • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /ʁe.ɡuˈlaʁ/ [χe.ɡuˈlaχ]
          • (Caipira) IPA(key): /ʁe.ɡuˈlaɻ/ [he.ɡuˈlaɻ]
         
        • (Portugal) IPA(key): /ʁɨ.ɡuˈlaɾ/ [ʁɨ.ɣuˈlaɾ]
          • (Southern Portugal) IPA(key): /ʁɨ.ɡuˈla.ɾi/

        • Hyphenation: re‧gu‧lar

        Adjective

        regular m or f (plural regulares, comparable, comparative mais regular, superlative o mais regular or regularíssimo)

        1. regular
        2. average
        Derived terms

        Etymology 2

        Learned borrowing from Latin rēgulāre. Compare the doublet regrar, borrowed earlier from the same source.

        Pronunciation

         
        • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ʁe.ɡuˈla(ʁ)/ [he.ɡuˈla(h)]
          • (São Paulo) IPA(key): /ʁe.ɡuˈla(ɾ)/ [he.ɡuˈla(ɾ)]
          • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /ʁe.ɡuˈla(ʁ)/ [χe.ɡuˈla(χ)]
          • (Caipira) IPA(key): /ʁe.ɡuˈla(ɻ)/ [he.ɡuˈla(ɻ)]
         
        • (Portugal) IPA(key): /ʁɨ.ɡuˈlaɾ/ [ʁɨ.ɣuˈlaɾ]
          • (Southern Portugal) IPA(key): /ʁɨ.ɡuˈla.ɾi/

        • Hyphenation: re‧gu‧lar

        Verb

        regular (first-person singular present regulo, first-person singular preterite regulei, past participle regulado)

        1. to regulate
        2. to tune (an engine)
        3. to set (a watch, clock)
        Conjugation
        Derived terms

        Further reading

        Romanian

        Alternative forms

        Etymology

          Learned borrowing from Latin rēgulāris. By surface analysis, regulă + -ar.

          Pronunciation

          • IPA(key): /re.ɡuˈlar/
          • Rhymes: -ar
          • Hyphenation: re‧gu‧lar

          Adjective

          regular m or n (feminine singular regulară, masculine plural regulari, feminine/neuter plural regulare)

          1. regular

          Declension

          Declension of regular
          singular plural
          masculine neuter feminine masculine neuter feminine
          nominative-
          accusative
          indefinite regular regulară regulari regulare
          definite regularul regulara regularii regularele
          genitive-
          dative
          indefinite regular regulare regulari regulare
          definite regularului regularei regularilor regularelor

          Further reading

          Spanish

          Pronunciation

          • IPA(key): /reɡuˈlaɾ/ [re.ɣ̞uˈlaɾ]
          • Audio (Venezuela):(file)
          • Rhymes: -aɾ
          • Syllabification: re‧gu‧lar

          Etymology 1

            Learned borrowing from Latin rēgulāre.

            Verb

            regular (first-person singular present regulo, first-person singular preterite regulé, past participle regulado)

            1. to regulate
            2. to control
            3. to adjust
            4. to put in order
            Conjugation

            Etymology 2

              Learned borrowing from Late Latin rēgulāris.

              Adjective

              regular m or f (masculine and feminine plural regulares)

              1. regular, steady, even
              2. fair, fairly good, average
              3. common, ordinary, middling, so-so
              4. (grammar) regular
              Derived terms

              Further reading

              Tagalog

              Etymology

                Borrowed from Spanish regular, a learned borrowing from Late Latin rēgulāris, from Latin rēgula + -āris.

                Pronunciation

                • (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ɾeɡuˈlaɾ/ [ɾɛ.ɣ̠ʊˈlaɾ]
                • Rhymes: -aɾ
                • Syllabification: re‧gu‧lar

                Adjective

                regulár (Baybayin spelling ᜇᜒᜄᜓᜎᜇ᜔)

                1. regular; usual; ordinary
                  Synonyms: karaniwan, pangkaraniwan
                2. habitual; steady; permanent
                  Synonyms: pirmihan, palagian
                3. uniform; not changing
                4. customary; usual
                  Synonyms: katamtaman, kainaman

                Derived terms

                • karegularan
                • pagkaregular

                Further reading

                • “regular”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018