Regency

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɹiːd͡ʒənsi/

Definitions

1. A period during which a regent governs in place of a monarch who is absent, incapacitated, or not yet of age
2. The office or term of rule exercised by a regent acting as substitute for a monarch unable to govern
3. A span of time in which delegated authority is exercised by a regent over a kingdom whose sovereign is unavailable or unfit to rule

Etymology: The word "regency" carries a long Latin ancestry in the verb "regō," meaning "to rule" or "to guide." Its present participle, "regēns," produced the Latin noun "regentia," the source of the English term. Middle English borrowed it as "regencie," with a related form "regente" appearing alongside it, so the English word arrived as a formal, governmental term for rule exercised on someone else's behalf. Its meaning is tied to the idea of standing in for a sovereign. A regent is a person who governs in place of a monarch who is absent, incapacitated, or too young to rule, and the regency is the period of that interim authority. The word therefore describes a temporary office rather than a lasting title, which is why it still appears in historical accounts of kingdoms where a child or ill ruler needed a substitute.

Synonyms: governance, administration

Antonyms: anarchy, chaos