LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

rēgīna

rēgīna f (genitive rēgīnae, masculine rēx)
Classical[reːˈɡiː.na]Ecclesiastical[reˈd͡ʒiː.na]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. queen
    ‘cūr igitur rēgīna vocor prīncepsque deārum?“Therefore, why am I being called queen and foremost of the goddesses? Why have they given me a golden scepter for my right hand?”8 CE, Ovidius, Fasti 6.37–38
  2. princess
  3. queen

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

fēmina quae rēgnat; uxor rēgis.
rēgīna -ae f — in Mille Verba, Urbs et Aedificia

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativerēgīnarēgīnae
genitiverēgīnaerēgīnārum
dativerēgīnaerēgīnīs
accusativerēgīnamrēgīnās
ablativerēgīnārēgīnīs
vocativerēgīnarēgīnae

Lewis & Short A Latin Dictionary, 1879

rēgīna, ae, f. rex; cf. the Sanscr. rāgni, the same,
I. a queen.
I. Lit.
A. In gen., Plaut. Stich. 1, 2, 76, id. Trin. 1, 2, 170 al. —
B. In partic., of Cleopatra, Cic. Att. 14, 8, 1; 14, 20, 1; 15, 15, 2; Hor. C. 1, 37, 7 al.; Suet. Aug. 69.— Of Dido, Verg. A. 1, 303; 454; 697; 717.—Of the wife of Latinus, Verg. A. 12, 659. — Sarcastically: regina Bithynica, of Cæsar, as paramour of King Nicomedes, Bibul. Suet. Caes. 49: sacrorum, the wife of the rex sacrificulus, Macr. S. 1, 15 fin.; Paul. ex Fest. p. 113 Müll.; cf. Serv. ad Verg. A. 4, 137. —
II. Transf.
A. A goddess: Juno, Plaut. Cist. 2, 1, 37; Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 72, § 184; Liv. 5, 21; Verg. A. 1, 9; 1, 46: o Venus, regina Gnidi Paphique, Hor. C. 1, 30, 1; cf. id. ib. 3, 26, 11: siderum regina bicornis, Luna, id. C. S. 35: Calliope, id. C. 3, 4, 2: regina nemorum, i. e. Diana, Sen. Hippol. 406.—
B. A daughter of a king, a princess (cf. rex and regulus); so of Ariadne, Verg. A. 6, 28.— Of Medea, Ov. H. 12, 1.— Of the daughters of Darius, Curt. 3, 11, 25; 3, 12, 12; cf. also in apposition: regina sacerdos (of Rhea Silvia), Verg. A. 1, 273: virgines reginae, Curt. 3, 12, 21. —
C. A noble woman, a lady: sed istae reginae domi Suae fuere ambae (opp. ancillae), Plaut. Truc. 2, 6, 50: quia solae utuntur his reginae, Ter. Eun. 1, 2, 88; Mart. 10, 64, 1.—
D. In gen., she that is first, a leader, directress, mistress (mostly poet.): silvestris regina chori, i. e. the leader, Stat. Th. 4, 379: Alpini veluti regina cu pressus Verticis, id. ib. 6, 854: Appia regina viarum, id. S. 2, 2, 12.—
III. Trop., a queen, mistress, etc.: oratio omnium rerum regina, Pac. ap. Non. 113, 32; id. ap. Cic. de Or. 2, 44, 187; and ap. Quint. 1, 12, 18: (justitia) omnium est domina et regina virtutum, Cic. Off 3, 6, 28: regina Pecunia, Hor. Ep. 1, 6, 37: volucrum, Mart. 5, 55, 1.

Origins

Uncertain, though clearly related to rēx (“king”), itself from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to rule”). It may derive from an adjective *reg-īno- (“regal, meant for the king”). Sihler instead connects the term with *h₃rḗǵnih₂, which—according to Sihler—perhaps yielded Proto-Italic *rēgnī-, which itself was perhaps remodeled into *rēgnīā according to the model of terms such as avia. Sihler further proposes that the form *rēgnīā was then reshaped into *rēgnīnā, which then shifted to rēgīnā through dissimilation and analogical remodeling under the influence of the base rēg- (see terms such as rēgius (“royal, kingly”)). Within Italic, the term may be related to Marrucinian regenai.

Descendants
  • Catalanreina
  • Italianregina
  • Italianreina
  • Frenchreinefrom Old French royne
  • Portugueserainhafrom Old Galician-Portuguese reinha
  • Occitanreinafrom Old Occitan reina
  • Spanishreinafrom Old Spanish reyna
  • Sardinianreina
  • Sardinianarreina
  • EnglishRegina

Quick answers

What does rēgīna mean in Latin?
rēgīna, a noun, means “queen; princess; queen”.
What is the genitive of rēgīna?
The genitive singular is rēgīnae. rēgīna is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce rēgīna?
In classical Latin, [reːˈɡiː.na]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [reˈd͡ʒiː.na].