Reyne

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling of rein, meaning a long strap held to steer or check a horse ; to hold sovereign power over a realm as a monarch does
2. An old form of the word for the strap fastened to a bridle to control an animal ; an old form of the verb meaning to govern as a king or queen
3. A leather strap attached to a bridle for steering a horse, in older English spelling ; to exercise supreme authority as a ruler, in older English spelling

Etymology: The noun began as a verb of holding back. Latin "retinere," from "re-" (back) and "tenere" (to hold), gave a Vulgar Latin form "retina," which passed into Old French as "reine." English adopted it in the late 1200s for the strap used to restrain a horse. This spelling, "reyne," is the Middle English form; "rein" became the standard spelling later. The verb followed from the noun, first meaning to control a horse with its reins. The figurative sense of holding something back, as in "rein in spending," came later. Despite the similar spelling, "rein" is unrelated to "reign," which comes from Latin "regnum," and to the old plural "reins" for the kidneys, which comes from Latin "renes."

Synonyms: rain