English
irregular
Irregular comes from Middle English irreguler.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500irreguler
- Englishearliest quotation 1944irregular
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500irreguler
- Englishearliest quotation 1944irregular
Earliest quotation: 1944, Miles Burton: “The hovel stood in the centre of what had…”
Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘move in a straight line’
Latin rēgula ‘rule’
Latin rēgulāris ‘continuing rules for guidance’
Anglo-Norman reguler
Middle English reguler
English regular
Every English word from Middle English irreguler
Today it means
adj Nonstandard; not conforming to rules or expectations.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English irreguler / irregular