E 0721          REGULAR,  REGOL

The word " regular " is, via Old French, of Latin origin .

The Old English word " regol " is of Germanic origin .

H 0812             ל י ג ר , * ל ג ר

Concept of root : habit and rule

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ל י ג ר ;

* ל ג ר

-

ragil;

*ragal; riggèl

-

regular, habitual;

to be regular, habitual, to be used to

Related English words

regular, from Latin ; Old English : regol

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ל י ג ר

-

*  ל ג ר

-

-

-

ragil

-

*ragal ; riggèl;

-

-

-

regular, habitual;

to be regular, habitual, to be used to

r . g . (i) l;

r . g . l

Latin

regula

regula

rule;

ruler, lath

r . g (u) l

Old English

regol

rule

r . g (o) l

English

regular

regular

r . g (u) l

 

 

Proto-Semitic *RAGAL --- *RĒGŬL- Indo-European

 

 

The same three-consonant conbination "R G L" in Hebrew is also used for several quite different messages. One is "to calunniate, slander", another "foot, leg". Then we have "to explore" and in modern language "to spy". This demonstrates that a long history must lay behind Biblical Hebrew. Originally people will have chosen different roots to make words with such variating meanings.

 

It is difficult to propose the reader an idea about what the predecessors of the four different messages for which R G L is used , should have looked like. The three consonants are not among those for which scholars have supposed distinguished versions in Proto-Semitic, as has been done for others, such as Z, GH, SH, TS and Ayin.

 

One can be explained, because "to calunniate" is also expressed with the root "R K L", and probably different spellings for different local pronunciations have occurred. For the others we do not have such easy solutions.

 

An interesting view is that "ragal" in the meaning of this entry, "to be accustomed, used to" would have been derived from the meaning "foot, leg". This in the following "steps" : to go on foot < to go about frequently". Or else, with the intensive meaning "riggèl : "he made someone go on foot < he guided" .
This sounds fine, and it is just a form of a verb "ragal" for "to walk, go on foot". But then there is a passive form "niregal" and this means in Post Biblical Hebrew "o be accustomed". Yet then the reasoning becomes : "he was made to go about, was guided, was made to do something frequently" . There is unsufficient semantic sequence from "to be acustomed " towards "to guide" , and there is none from "to guide" to "frequently". These are things that may by chance come about, but that is all. "Niregal" simply says "he was accustomed" and another verbal form "hitraggèl" means "he became accustomed". We rather accept the fact that there are two similar but independent verbs with fully different meanings : "to walk" as also found in other Semitic languages and "to be accustomed".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic . The root "R G L " in the meaning of this entry was used in Aramaic and may well have been present in Proto-Semitic: "*ר ג ל , R G L". In the comparison we maintain the basis double " A ", though various forms use different vowels.

 

Note:
  • Latin "regula" lives on in many modern languages. As to its origin the verb "regere" that says "to reign, govern, guide" is presented. Rules, laws are given, or were given by kings, but a grammatical form like "regula" would not easily be chosen to that end. Exceptions exist of course, but we dare suppose that "regula" is related to Hebrew "ragil", with the same root R G L and comparable messages. We should take into consideration that the modern meanings of words like Italian "regola", German "Regel" and others are even nearer to Hebrew than the referred translation of old Latin "regula". Sometimes etymological reflections inevitably play a role in the explanations of Classic words.

     

    Another aspect is that the other meanings of "regula" difficultly could be seen as derived from a verb saying "to govern". Some have been influenced by those who reason that a king makes the people follow a straight line. Nice to believe, but historically off the line. However pleasant it would be to insert "regula" into the discipline of "regere", it just does not fit . Luckily we have the similarity with Hebrew to allow us to see the independence of "regula".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic has a number of words with R G L in them and the same meanings of Hebrew. Some doubt that all this would have come from Latin "regula", and we are with them. In etymological reasoning, nearly habitually, as soon as a Latin and a Germanic root are similar in sound and meaning, the foregone conclusion is that the Germanic one has been derived from Latin. If we recall that the two groups are of common origin, we should also consider that they may be similar just on account of that fact.

     

    Things are complicated because the study and use of Latin in the Middle Ages had to exercise some influence on Germanic usage. But some independent use has remained also for R G L . In German "Riegel", from Old High German "rigil" we have a "bolt ( to draw a bolt )". This has not much to do with "regula", nor will it have been derived from it. Probably Proto-Germanic had "R Ē G e L". We will further have a look at Old French, from where we find some support for this thesis :

 

Note:
  • Old French shows us "riule" for "rule", but Old English had "regol", very improbably derived from Latin in a then independent way. "Regol" must have come from an old Germanic root. This is confirmed because Middle English had "reule", normally derived from or influenced by or melted with Old French .

     

    An argument is found, or supposed to be, in an early loaning from Latin "regola" in the language used in monasteries, where rules were strict. But that would not explain why Germanic words with R G L would have various other meanings as well. Undoubtedly the Latin word "regula" lived on in monasteries, but the Germanic root lived among the people independently from the Latin one.

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. The available information is in Latin and Germanic, but is consistent and indicates a hypothesis as "*R Ē G Ŭ L-".

     

 

 

 

 
"...the town, to which was given the name Babel, because it was there that the Lord confused the language of all the world on the face of which He dispersed them. GENESIS 11,9"
 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 31/12/2012 at 15.54.12