regret 
(of a disease), as in Walloon li r'gret d'oii mini, 
'the return of a disease,' < regredi, go back: 
see regrede, regress, (tl) < L. as it' "requiritari, 
< re- + quiritare, bewail: see cry. (e) < L. 
requiritare, ask after, inquire for, freq. of re- 
quirere, ask after, require: see require. Of 
these explanations only the first is in any de- 
gree plausible.] 1. To look back at with sor- 
row; feel grief or sorrowful longing for on 
looking back. 
Sure, if they catch, to spoil the toy at most, 
To covet flying, and regret when lost 
Pope, Moral Essays, ii. 234. 
Beauty which you shall feel perfectly but once, and re- 
gret forever. Hoieells, Venetian Life, iL 
2. To grieve at; be mentally distressed on ac- 
count of : as, to regret one's rashness ; to regret 
a choice made. 
Ah, cruel fate, thou never struck'st a blow 
By all mankind regretted so. 
Cotton, Death of the Earl of Ossory. 
Those the impiety of whose lives makes them regret a 
Deity, and secretly wish there were none, will greedily 
listen to atheistical notions. Gtanville. 
Poets, of all men, ever least regret 
Increasing taxes and the nation's debt. 
Couyer, Table-Talk, 1. 176. 
Alone among the Spaniards the Catalans had real reason 
to regret the peace. Leclcy, Eug. in 18th Cent., i. 
=Syn, To rue, lament. See repentance. 
regret (re-gref), n. [Early mod. E. also regrate; 
< OF. regret, desire, will, grief, sorrow, regret, 
F. regret, regret; from the verb (which, how- 
ever, is later in E.): see regret, t 1 .] 1. Grief or 
trouble caused by the want or loss of something 
formerly possessed ; a painful sense of loss ; de- 
sire for what is gone ; sorrowful longing. 
When her eyes she on the Dwarf had set, 
And saw the signes that deadly tydinges spake, 
She fell to ground for sorrowfull regret. 
Spenser, F. Q., I. vii. 20. 
Anguish and regret 
For loss of life and pleasure overloved. 
Milton, P. L., x. 1018. 
A pain of privation takes the name of a pain of regret 
in two cases : (1) where it is grounded on the memory of 
a pleasure which, having been once enjoyed, appears not 
likely to be enjoyed again ; (2) where it is grounded on 
the idea of a pleasure which was never actually enjoyed, 
nor perhaps so much as expected, but which might have 
been enjoyed (it is supposed) had such or such a contin- 
gency happened, which, in fact, did not happen. 
Bentham, Introd. to Morals and Legislation, v. 20. 
2. Pain or distress of mind, as at something 
done or left undone; the earnest wish that 
something had not been done or did not exist ; 
bitterness of reflection. 
A passionate regret at sin, a grief and sadness at ita mem- 
ory, enters us into God's roll of mourners. 
Decay of Christian Piety. 
Many and sharp the num'rous ills 
Inwoven with our frame ! 
More pointed still we make ourselves 
Regret, remorse, and shame. 
Burns, Man was Made to Mourn. 
3f. Dislike ; aversion. 
Is it a virtue to have some ineffective regrets to damna- 
tion 2 Decay of Christian Piety. 
4. An expression of regret : commonly in the 
plural. [Colloq.] 5. A written communica- 
tion expressing sorrow for inability to accept 
an invitation. [Colloq.] =Syn. 1. Concern, sorrow, 
lamentation. 2. Penitence, Compunction, etc. See re- 
pentance. 
regretful (re-gret'ful), a. [< regret + -//.] 
Full of regret; sorrowful. 
regretfully (re-gret'ful-i), adv. With regret. 
regrettable (re-gret'a-bl), a. [< regret + -able."] 
Admitting of or calling for regret. 
Of regrettable good English examples can be quoted from 
1632 onwards. 
J. A. H. Murray, N. and Q., 7th ser., VIII. 134. 
regrettably (re-gret'a-bli), adv. With regret ; 
regretfully. 
My mother and sisters, who have so long been regret- 
tably prevented from making your acquaintance. 
H. James, Jr., International Episode, p. 126. 
regrowth (re-groth'), [< re- + growth.] A 
growing again ; a new or second growth. Dar- 
win. 
regt. An abbreviation of (a) regent; (b) regi- 
ment. 
reguardantt, a. See regardant. 
reguerdont (re-ger'don), n. [< ME. reguerdoun, 
< OF. reguerdon; as re- + guerdon, .] A re- 
ward ; a recompense. 
And in reguerdon of that duty done, 
I gird thee with the valiant sword of York. 
Shak., 1 Hen. VI., iii. 1. 170. 
reguerdont (re-ger'dou), . t. [< OF. reguer- 
donner, reward; as re- + guerdon, .] To re- 
ward; recompense. 
5050 
Yet never have you tasted our reward, 
Or been reguerdon'd with so much as thanks. 
Shak., 1 Hen. VI., iii. 4. 23. 
reguerdonment (re-ger'don-ment), n. [< re- 
guerdon + -went.] Reward; return; requital. 
In generous reguerdonment whereof he sacramentally 
obliged himself e. 
A'ashe, Lenten Stufle (Hart. Misc., VI. 163). 
regula (reg'u-lii), n. ; pi. regulx (-le). [< L. m/- 
la, a rule: see rule 1 , and cf. regie.] 1. A book 
of rules or orders governing a religious house ; 
the rule. Rev. F. G. Lee. 2. In arch., a short 
band or fillet, bearing guttsa or drops on the 
lower side, corresponding, below the crowning 
tsenia of the Doric architrave, to the triglyphs 
of the frieze. See cut under ditriglyp h. Reg- 
ula cseci, a rule of arithmetic for solving two linear equa- 
tions between three unknown quantities In whole num- 
bers. Regula falBi, the rule of false. See position, 7. 
regulable (reg'u-la-bl), a. [< regula(te) + -67.] 
Admitting of regulation ; capable of being regu- 
lated. 
regula, . Plural of regula. 
regular (reg'u-lar), a. and n. [< ME. reguler, 
< OF. regulier, F. regulier = Pr. reglar = Sp. 
reglar, regular = Pg. regular = It. regolare, < 
L. regularis, regular, < regula, a rule, < regere, 
rule, govern: see regula and rwfe 1 .] I. a. 1. 
Conformed to or made in accordance with a 
rule; agreeable to an established rule, law, 
type, or principle, to a prescribed mode, or to 
established customary forms; normal: as, a 
regular epic poem; a regular verse in poetry; 
are</tttorplan; regular features ; a regular build- 
ing. 
The English Speech, though it be rich, copious, and sig- 
nificant, and that there be divers Dictionaries of it, yet, 
under Favour, I cannot call it a regular Language. 
Hoicell, Letters, ii. 55. 
But soft by regular approach not yet 
First through the length of yon hot terrace sweat. 
Pope, Moral Essays, iv. 129. 
Philip was of the middle height ; he had a fair, florid 
complexion, regular features, long flowing locks, and a 
well-made, symmetrical figure. 
Prescotl, Ferd. and Isa., Ii. 19. 
2. Acting, proceeding, or going on by rule ; gov- 
erned by rule or rules ; steady or uniform in a 
course or practice; orderly; methodical; un- 
varying: as, regular in diet; regular in atten- 
dance on divine worship ; the regular return of 
the seasons. 
Not a man 
Shall . . . offend the stream 
Of regular justice in your city's bounds, 
But shall be rendered to your public laws. 
Shak., T. of A., v. 4. 61. 
True Courage must be a Regular thing ; it must have 
not only a good End, but a wise Choice of Means. 
StillingJUet, Sermons, III. v. 
This gentleman is a person of good sense, and some 
learning, of a very regular life, and obliging conversation. 
Addison, Spectator, No. 106. 
3. Specifically, in law, conformable to law and 
the rules and practice of the court. 4. In 
math., governed by one law throughout. Thus, 
a regular polygon is one which has all its sides and all its 
angles equal ; a regular body is one which has all its faces 
regular polygons, and all its summits formed by the junc- 
tion of equal numbers of edges, those of each summit be- 
ing equally inclined to one line. 
5. In gram., adhering to the more common form 
in respect to inflectional terminations, as, in 
English, verbs forming their preterits and past 
participles by the addition of -d or -ed to the 
infinitive ; as nouns forming their plurals with 
-* or -es; as the three conjugations of French 
verbs known as regular; and so on. 6. Be- 
longing to and subject to the rule of a monastic 
order ; pertaining to a monastic order : as, reg- 
ular clergy, in distinction from secular clergy. 
As these chanouns regulers, 
Or white monkes, or these blake. 
Rom. of the Rose, 1. 6694. 
7. Specifically, in bot., having the members of 
each circle of floral organs (sepals, petals, sta- 
mens, and pistils) normally alike in form and 
size : properly restricted to symmetry of form, 
as distinguished from symmetry of number. 
8. In zool., noting parts or organs which 
are symmetrically disposed. See Begularia. 
9. In music: (a) Same as strict: as, regular 
form; a regular fugue, etc. (6) Same as simi- 
lar: as, regular motion. 10. Milit., perma- 
nent; standing: opposed to volunteer: said of 
an army or of troops. 11. In U. S. politifs. 
of, pertaining to, or originating from the rec- 
ognized agents or "machinery" of a party: as. 
a regular ticket. 12. Thorough; out-and-out; 
perfect; complete: as, a regular humbug; a 
regular deception; a regular brick. [Colloq.] 
regularness 
Regular abbot, body, canon. See the nouns. 
Regular benefice, a benefice which could be conferred 
only on a regular priest. Regular curve, (a) A curve 
without contrary flexure, (b) A curve denned by the same 
equation or equations throughout. Regular decagon 
dodecagon, dodecahedron. See the nouns. Regular 
function, a function connected with the variable by the 
same general law for all values of the latter. Regular 
physician, a practitioner of medicine who has acquired an 
accepted grade of knowledge of such things as pertain to 
the art of healing, and who does not announce himself as 
employing any single and peculiar rule or method of treat- 
ment, in contrast with the allopath (if such there be), 
homeopath, botanic physician, hydropath, electrician, or 
mind-cure practitioner. But nothing in his character of 
regular physician prevents his using drugs which may be 
made to produce in a healthy person effects opposite to 
or similar to those of the disease in hand, or using drugs 
of vegetable origin, or water in its various applications, 
or electricity, or recognizing the tbnic effects of faith. 
Regular place, a place within the precincts of a reli- 
gious house. Regular polygon, polyhedron. Seethe 
nouns. Regular proof, a proof drawn up in strict form, 
with all the steps accurately stated in their proper order. 
Regular relation. See relation. Regular sales, in 
stock-broking and similar transactions, sales for delivery 
on the following day. Regular syllogism, a syllogism 
set forth in the form usual in the books of logic, the major 
premise first, then the minor premise, and last the con- 
clusion, each proposition being formally stated, with the 
same expressions used for the terms in the different propo- 
sitions, and the construction of the proposition being that 
which logic contemplates. The regular system, in crys- 
tal., the isometric system. = Syn. 1. Ordinary, etc. See 
normal. 2. Systematic, uniform, periodic, settled, estab- 
lished, stated. 
II. n. 1. A member of any duly constituted 
religious order which is bound by the three 
monastic vows. 
They declared positively that he [Archbishop Abbot] was 
not to fall from his Dignity or Function, but should still 
remain a Regular, and in statu quo prius. 
HomO., Letters, I. ill. 7. 
As in early days the regulars sustained Becket and the 
seculars supported Henry II. Stubbs, Const Hist., 405. 
2. A soldier who belongs to a standing army, 
as opposed to a militiaman or volunteer ; a pro- 
fessional soldier. 
He was a regular in our ranks ; in other services only a 
volunteer. Summer, John Pickering. 
3. In chron.: (a) A number attached to each 
year such that added to the concurrents it 
gives the number of the day of the week on 
which the paschal full moon falls. (6) A fixed 
number attached to each month, which assists 
in ascertaining on what day of the week the first 
day of any month fell, or the age of the moon 
on the first day of any month College of regu- 
lars. See college. Congregation of Bishops and 
Regulars. See congregation, 6 (a) (8). 
Regularia (reg-u-la'ri-ii), n. pi. [NL., neut. 
pi. of L. regularis, regular : see regular.'] Regu- 
lar sea-urchins, with biserial ambulacral plates, 
centric mouth, and aboral anus interior. Also 
called Endocyclica. 
regularise, v. t. See regularize. 
regularity (reg-u-lar'i-ti), . [< OF. regularite, 
regulairete, F. regularite = Sp. regularidad = 
Pg. regularidade = It. regolaritd, < ML. "regv- 
larita(t-)s, < L. regularis, regular: see regular.'} 
The state or character of being regular, in any 
sense: as, regularity of a plan or of a build- 
ing; regularity of features; the regularity of 
one's attendance at church; the watch goes 
with great regularity. 
He was a mighty lover of regularity and order. 
Bp. Atterbury. 
There was no regularity in their dancing. 
E. W. Lane, Modern Egyptians, II. 212. 
Regularity and proportion appeal to a primary sensi- 
bility of the mind. A. Bain, Emotions and Will, p. 236. 
regularization(reg"u-lar-i-za'shon), n. [(regu- 
larize + -ation.~\ The act or process of regular- 
izing, or making regular; the state of being 
made regular. [Rare.] 
At present (1885), a scheme combining the two systems 
of regitlarization and canalization is being carried out, for 
the purpose of securing everywhere at low water a depth 
of 5 feet 8 inches. Encyc. Brit., XX. 528. 
An ancient Chinese law, moreover, prescribed the regu- 
larization of weights and measures at the spring equinox. 
Encyc. Brit., XXIV. 792. 
regularize (reg'u-lar-Iz), e. t. [< F. regula- 
riser; as regular + -ize.'] To make regular. 
The labor bestowed in regularizing and modulating our 
language had operated not only to impoverish it, but to 
check its growth. F. Hall, Mod. Eng., p. 282. 
Their [the alkaline metals'] mode of action is greatly 
regularised by being made into amalgam with mercury. 
W. Crookee, Dyeing and Calico-printing, p. 440. 
Also spelled regularise. 
regularly (reg'u-'lSr-li), adv. In a regular man 
ner, in any sense of the word regular. 
regularness (reg'u-liir-nes), n. Regularity. 
Long crystals . . . that did emulate native crystal as 
well in the regularness of shape as in the transparency of 
the substance. Boyle, Works, III. 530. 
