What is the Latin word for king?

The usual Latin words for “king” are rēx, rēgulus, sacrificus; also sacrificulus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“king” in Latin

rēxking, ruler; despot, tyrant (during the time of the Republic when there were no kings and executive power was usually di rēgulusA petty king, kinglet; kinglet (bird), wren; a basilisk; a venomous serpent sacrificusOf or pertaining to sacrificing, sacrificial.; Mindful of sacrifices or of religion; prayerful, religious.sacrificulusSomeone who conducts a sacrifice; sacrificer, sacrificator, sacrificant.; The priest who makes offerings made by the kin

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

king

rex (also, as in English, may be used for any kind of president or representative of a king; thus, in Latin, rex mensae, the president of a feast; rex sacrorum, or sacrificus, or sacrificulus, the sacrificing priest, who superintended the sacrifices previously made by the king: ☞ but regulus never occurs in this sense): rēgulus (a petty king, prince). The king of kings, rex regum (thus the Greeks termed the Persian king; the Romans, the Parthian king): the king and his consort, reges: to be a king, regem esse; regnum obtinere; regiam potestatem habere: to be king more in title than in power, nomine magis quam imperio regem esse: to make one’s self a king, regnum occupare; regis nomen assumere; regium ornatum nomenque sumere (of one who before was governor, etc.; Vid: Nep., Eum., 13, 3): to make anybody king, alicui regnum, or regnum ac diadēma deferre (the latter, Hor., Od., 2, 2, 22); summam rerum ad aliquem deferre. If = to elect anybody king, Vid: To ELECT: a person becomes king, aliquis rex fit; aliquis regnum adipiscitur; regnum (or imperium) ad aliquem transit; summa rerum alicui defertur: to be king or to act the king, ducatus et imperia ludere (Suet., Ner., 35). I shall be as happy as a king if, etc., rex ero, si, etc.

King’s evidence, Vid: EVIDENCE.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for king?: The usual Latin words for “king” are rēx, rēgulus, sacrificus; also sacrificulus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.