regnant

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for September 1, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>regnant</strong> &#149; \REG-nunt\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><em>Regnant</em> means "reigning" or "dominant."</p> <p>// The <em>regnant</em> kings commanded their armies in the battle.</p> <p>// Christianity became the <em>regnant</em> religion during the Emperor's reign. </p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regnant">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>"The bare-chested Washington is draped in a Roman toga and clad in Roman sandals. Seated on an ornately carved chair (again, crafted according to the <em>regnant</em> style of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Greco-Roman">Greco-Roman</a> antiquity), he points the index finger of his right hand upward toward Heaven and in his left holds out a sheathed sword…." — Cameron Hilditch, <em>The National Review</em>, 4 June 2021</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>The origin of <em>regnant</em> is straightforward: it comes from the Latin verb <em>regnare</em>, meaning "to reign." <em>Regnare</em>, in turn, traces back to the noun <em>regnum</em>, meaning "reign." (<em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/regnum">Regnum</a></em> was bestowed with the meaning "kingdom" in English.) These words ultimately descend from <em>rex</em>, the Latin for "king" and a word familiar to those who have read or seen the Greek tragedy <em>Oedipus Rex</em>.</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>