I. ˈre-gyə-lər, ˈre-g(ə-)lər also ˈrā- adjective
Etymology: Middle English reguler, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin regularis regular, from Latin, of a bar, from regula rule — more at rule
Date: 14th century
1. : belonging to a religious order
2.
a. : formed, built, arranged, or ordered according to some established rule, law, principle, or type
b.
(1) : both equilateral and equiangular
a regular polygon
(2) : having faces that are congruent regular polygons and all the polyhedral angles congruent
a regular polyhedron
c. of a flower : having the arrangement of floral parts exhibiting radial symmetry with members of the same whorl similar in form
3.
a. : orderly , methodical
regular habits
b. : recurring, attending, or functioning at fixed, uniform, or normal intervals
a regular income
a regular churchgoer
regular bowel movements
4.
a. : constituted, conducted, scheduled, or done in conformity with established or prescribed usages, rules, or discipline
b. : normal , standard : as
(1) : absolute , complete
a regular fool
the office seemed like a regular madhouse
(2) : thinking or behaving in an acceptable, normal, or agreeable manner
was a regular guy
c.
(1) : conforming to the normal or usual manner of inflection
(2) : weak 7
d. of a postage stamp : issued in large numbers over a long period for general use in prepayment of postage
5. : of, relating to, or constituting the permanent standing military force of a state
the regular army
regular soldiers
Synonyms:
regular , normal , typical , natural mean being of the sort or kind that is expected as usual, ordinary, or average. regular stresses conformity to a rule, standard, or pattern
the club's regular monthly meeting
normal implies lack of deviation from what has been discovered or established as the most usual or expected
normal behavior for a two-year-old
typical implies showing all important traits of a type, class, or group and may suggest lack of strong individuality
a typical small town
natural applies to what conforms to a thing's essential nature, function, or mode of being
the natural love of a mother for her child
II. noun
Date: 15th century
1. : one who is regular: as
a. : one of the regular clergy
b. : a soldier in a regular army
c. : one who can be trusted or depended on
a party regular
d. : a player on an athletic team who usually starts every game
e. : one who is usually present or participating ; especially : a long-standing regular customer
2. : something of average or medium size ; especially : a clothing size designed to fit a person of average height