A short guide to translating and interpreting rego, regno, regnum, rex and regina
The root *REG- and its original meaning
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, it is a 'Proto-Indo-European root meaning "move in a straight line," with derivatives meaning "to direct in a straight line," thus "to lead, rule.'
It is easy to miss the relationship and differences between words containing *reg- and their derivatives. For a start, let us take a look at the usual suspects:
If this video has made it clear, you can now test your knowledge with this Latin vocab quiz:
(you might need to switch to a bigger screen for this)
If you are moving beyond beginners' Latin and into more literary, nuanced translations, you will find the definitions from the Charlton T. Lewis Elementary Dictionary - fully available in Perseus, most useful:
regō, rēxī, rēctus, ere
from *reg-: to keep straight, lead aright, guide, conduct, direct, control, to guide, lead, conduct, manage, direct, govern, sway, rule, govern, be master of, restore, set right, correct.
rēgnō āvī, ātus, āre
from regnum: to have royal power, be king, reign, to be lord, rule, govern, be supreme, tyrannise, have the mastery, prevail, predominate
rēgnum ī:
from *reg-: kingly government, royal authority, kingship, royalty, dominion, sovereignty, rule, authority, supreme power, despotism, tyranny, personal sovereignty, arbitrary rule, a kingdom, a state governed by a king; rule, authority, power, influence; A territory, estate, possession
If you found this useful, make sure to sign up for my regular tips and tricks to learn Latin: