REGULATION

I. noun Date: 1665 the act of regulating ; the state of being regulated, 2. an authoritative rule dealing with details or procedure , a rule or order issued by an executive authority or regulatory agency of a government and having the force of law, 3. the process of redistributing material (as in an embryo) to restore a damaged or lost part independent of new tissue growth, the mechanism by which an early embryo maintains normal development, see: law II. adjective Date: circa 1839 conforming to ~s ; official