Regnal

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to a monarch's reign or used to designate the years of a sovereign's rule
2. Pertaining to the period during which a king or queen rules and often used to mark the chronological timeline of their governance
3. Associated with the time frame of a monarch's rule, this term denotes aspects of royal authority and reign

Etymology: "Regnal" describes anything belonging to a monarch's reign, as in "regnal years," the numbering used to date events by how many years a king or queen had been on the throne. The word is a straightforward formation: it comes from Medieval Latin "regnalis," built from Latin "regnum," meaning "kingdom" or "rule," with the adjectival suffix "-alis," which gives the sense "pertaining to." The Latin root "regnum" also sits behind "reign" and "regent," so "regnal" is a close relative of those words, sharing their connection to governing and kingship. Its usefulness is practical rather than poetic. Historians, archivists and genealogists use regnal dating to place documents and events in time, and the phrase "regnal year" appears constantly in discussions of medieval charters and royal records. The word simply names that system of reckoning.