- regular
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I. adjective
Etymology: Middle English reguler, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin regularis regular, from Latin, of a bar, from regula rule — more at rule
Date: 14th century
1. belonging to a religious order
2.
a. formed, built, arranged, or ordered according to some established rule, law, principle, or type
b.
(1) both equilateral and equiangular <a regular polygon> (2) having faces that are congruent regular polygons and all the polyhedral angles congruent <a regular polyhedron> c. of a flower having the arrangement of floral parts exhibiting radial symmetry with members of the same whorl similar in form 3. a. orderly, methodical <regular habits> b. recurring, attending, or functioning at fixed, uniform, or normal intervals <a regular income> <a regular churchgoer> <regular bowel movements> 4. a. constituted, conducted, scheduled, or done in conformity with established or prescribed usages, rules, or discipline b. normal, standard: as (1) absolute, complete <a regular fool> <the office seemed like a regular madhouse> (2) thinking or behaving in an acceptable, normal, or agreeable manner <was a regular guy> c. (1) conforming to the normal or usual manner of inflection (2) weak 7 d. of a postage stamp issued in large numbers over a long period for general use in prepayment of postage 5. of, relating to, or constituting the permanent standing military force of a state <the regular army> <regular soldiers> Synonyms: regular, normal, typical, natural mean being of the sort or kind that is expected as usual, ordinary, or average. regular stresses conformity to a rule, standard, or pattern <the club's regular monthly meeting>. normal implies lack of deviation from what has been discovered or established as the most usual or expected <normal behavior for a two-year-old>. typical implies showing all important traits of a type, class, or group and may suggest lack of strong individuality <a typical small town>. natural applies to what conforms to a thing's essential nature, function, or mode of being <the natural love of a mother for her child>. II. noun Date: 15th century 1. one who is regular: as a. one of the regular clergy b. a soldier in a regular army c. one who can be trusted or depended on <a party regular> d. a player on an athletic team who usually starts every game e. one who is usually present or participating; especially a long-standing regular customer 2. something of average or medium size; especially a clothing size designed to fit a person of average height
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
