[reign] n [ME regne, fr. OF, fr. L regnum, fr. reg-, rex king--more at royal] (13c) 1 a: royal authority: sovereignty "under the ~ of the Stuart kings" b: the dominion, sway, or influence of one resembling a monarch "the ~ of the Puritan ministers"
2: the time during which one (as a sovereign) reigns
[2]reign vi (14c) 1 a: to possess or exercise sovereign power: rule b: to hold office as chief of state although possessing little governing power "in England the sovereign ~s but does not rule"
2: to exercise authority in the manner of a monarch
3: to be predominant or prevalent "chaos ~ed in the classroom"