Regular

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈɹɛɡ.jʊ.lə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. Occurring at fixed intervals or following a consistent pattern without variation
2. Consistently occurring at uniform intervals or exhibiting predictable characteristics without deviation
3. Characterized by a steady pattern or routine that maintains an expected frequency over time

Etymology: The adjective "regular" grew out of a much older idea of rules and straight lines. Its ancestor is Latin "rēgula", a "rule" or straightedge used to keep things aligned, and that noun sits on a root meaning to move in a straight line. The English word arrived by way of Anglo-Norman and Middle French forms of "reguler", which carried the sense of something following a rule or standard. Medieval English used the word in its religious sense first. In monastic life, a "regular" was a member of a religious order bound by a rule, as opposed to a secular clergy member who was not, and that meaning of "following the rule" is the thread linking the word to its later uses. Its general sense of "recurring at intervals" grew out of this same idea: something that happens according to a pattern, in step with a set rhythm.

Synonyms: consistent, standard, uniform

Antonyms: irregular, abnormal