English
regard
Regard comes from Middle English regard, from Anglo-Norman reguard, from Old French regarder ‘to look at’.
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400regarder
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400reguard
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500regard
- Englishearliest quotation 1599regard
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400regarder
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400reguard
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500regard
- Englishearliest quotation 1599regard
Earliest quotation: 1599, William Shakespeare, The Life of Henry the Fift: “Dolph. For the Dolphin, I stand here for him:…”
The story
Attested in Middle English starting around the mid 14th century. Piecewise doublet of reward; compare also guard, ward, guardian, and so on.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wer- ‘to burn’
wear, con, guard, garage, ward, worm, warn, verge, optic, weir, panorama, garrison, beware, malware, reverence, vermin, ware, wry, revere, vermilion, prosaic, diorama, guaranty, milliner, vermicelli, vermeil, vermiculite, varmint, 67 more
Another origin of regard
- Early Medieval Latinmodernwardāreuncertain
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400guarder‘to look at’uncertain
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400reguarderas regarder‘to look at’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500regarden
- Englishtodayregard
First attested in late Middle English, circa the early 15th century.
Today it means
noun A steady look, a gaze.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old French regarder / regard