Reigned

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹeɪnd/

Definitions

1. To govern a country or region as a monarch while having power and control over it, as well as influencing events during a particular timeframe or locality
2. Held the position of supreme authority over a nation or territory as its monarch during a specific period
3. Exercised control and leadership over a kingdom or realm as the reigning sovereign

Etymology: The past tense "reigned" comes from a verb that replaced an English native word. Before "reign" arrived, Old English speakers said "rīċe" for a reign and "ricsian" for to reign, both built from the same root that gave us "rich" and "rule" in the sense of a ruler's domain. The Latin "rēgnum," meaning kingdom or rule, was the source of the newcomer, which entered English as Middle English "regnen" after passing through Old French "reignier." Because "reign" is a doublet of "regnum," the two words share a single Latin ancestor but arrived by different routes, with "regnum" entering English directly as a learned borrowing, while "reign" came in through French. The English past tense simply adds the regular "-ed" ending to this verb, so "reigned" describes a monarch who held power over a period of time.

Synonyms: ruled, governed, controlled

Antonyms: served, followed