Etymograph

English

regale

Regale comes from French régaler ‘to entertain, feast’, and goes back to Old French regale.

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400regale
  2. Frenchc. 1600–presentrégaler‘to entertain, feast’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1723regale

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400regale
  2. Frenchc. 1600–presentrégaler‘to entertain, feast’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1723regale

Earliest quotation: 1723, Charles Walker, Memoirs of Sally Salisbury: “she hardly lets a Week pass without making the…”

The story

From French régaler (‘to entertain, feast’), from Old French regale, rigale, from gale (‘merriment’), probably of Germanic origin (see Old French galer). Influenced by Old French se rigoler (‘amuse oneself, rejoice’), of unknown origin.uncertain The source flags this step as uncertain.

Every English word from Old French regale

Today it means

noun A feast, a meal.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Old French regale / regale

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