Regal

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɹiːɡəl/

Definitions

1. Possessing the impressive dignity, elegance, or magnificent bearing characteristic of royalty
2. Having an impressive grandeur, stately quality, and dignified elegance that evokes the presence of royalty
3. Exhibiting the stately elegance and dignified grandeur typically associated with kings and queens

Etymology: The adjective "regal" sits in a family of English words that split apart over centuries. It descends from Latin "rēgālis," meaning "royal" or "kingly," built on "rex," the word for "king," and linked to "regere," "to rule." English received it through Old French, and it arrived in Middle English already carrying the sense of belonging to a sovereign. The surprise is its relatives. "Royal" comes from the same Latin source by a separate route, so the two words are doublets, each entering English by a different path. Even more unexpectedly, "real," as in the old unit of Spanish currency, is a doublet too, and so are "riyal" and "ariary," the currency names of Saudi Arabia and Madagascar. A coin of the same family thus carries a name that shares a root with an adjective for grandeur.

Synonyms: royal, kingly, imperial, majestic, noble

Antonyms: common, ordinary, humble, lowly, meek