règle

See also: regle, réglé, and reglé

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French regle, from Late Old French regle (13th c.), borrowed from Latin regula. Displaced the earlier borrowing Old French riule, reule (whence English rule). Compare also the inherited Old French reille (whence English rail). Doublet of rail, reille, rigole, and rille.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁɛɡl/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

règle f (plural règles)

1. rule, regulation
   • Pour atteindre le bonheur il y a deux règles : 1. Contentez-vous de ce que vous avez. 2. Essayez d’en avoir un maximum.

     To attain happiness there are two rules: 1. Be happy with what you have. 2. Try to have as much of it as possible.

     (Proverb (Anon))

2. rule, period of ruling

   La règle du Roi Henry

   King Henry's rule.

3. ruler (for measuring length)
4. (in the plural) period, menstruation

   Synonym: menstruation

Derived terms

• dans les règles
• de règle
• en règle
• exception qui confirme la règle
• l’exception confirme la règle
• règle de trois
• règles de l’art

 

Descendants

• → Persian: رگل (regl)

Verb

règle

1. inflection of régler:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “règle”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• geler, grêle, grêlé, léger