English
rex
Rex comes from Latin rēx ‘king’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-‘to straighten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃rḗǵs‘king, ruler’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rēks‘king’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēx‘king’
- Englishearliest quotation 1902rex
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃reǵ-‘to straighten’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃rḗǵs‘king, ruler’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*rēks‘king’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CErēx‘king’
- Englishearliest quotation 1902rex
Earliest quotation: 1902, Frederick Engels, Gens and State in Rome: “And though the sturdy patrician nobility had already gained…”
The story
Noun sense 2 originally referred to rabbits of the Belgian "castorrex" breed, so named because their fur was similar to that of beavers, and entered English around 1920.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- ‘to straighten’
right, source, rule, director, direction, region, regular, address, direct, correct, rank, dress, arrangement, radar, arrange, regime, rack, ana, rogue, royalty, realm, regulate, riches, interrogation, resurrection, raj, rake, richness, erect, regent, rector, insurrection, regency, rectify, anorexia, rectum, rhesus, incorrigible, droit, régime, 96 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃rḗǵs ‘king, ruler’
rich, rani, rajah, eldritch, 7 more
through Proto-Italic *rēks ‘king’
through Latin rēx ‘king’
Today it means
noun A king, particularly in ancient Rome.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.