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Origin and history of regiment

regiment(n.)

late 14c., "government, rule, authority, control," a sense now obsolete, from Old French regiment "government, rule" (14c.), from Late Latin regimentum "rule, direction," from Latin regere "to rule, to direct, keep straight, guide" (from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight line," with derivatives meaning "to direct in a straight line," thus "to lead, rule").

The military meaning "unit of an army" is recorded by 1570s, from a sense in French; the reference in the word originally was to permanent organization and discipline. The exact number of soldiers in a regiment has varied widely over time and place.

regiment(v.)

"to form into a regiment" with proper officers, hence "to organize, bring under a definite system of authority," 1610s, from regiment (n.). General sense of "organize systematically" is from 1690s. Related: Regimented; regimenting.

also from 1610s

Entries linking to regiment

regimen(n.)

c. 1400, medical, "course of diet, exercise, etc. for sake of health; regulation of such matters as influence health," mid-15c., "act of governing," from Old French regimen (14c.) and directly from Latin regimen "rule, guidance, government, means of guidance, rudder," from regere "to rule, to direct, keep straight, guide" (from PIE root *reg- "move in a straight line," with derivatives meaning "to direct in a straight line," thus "to lead, rule").

By 1751 in the transferred sense of "any regulation or remedy intended to produce gradual, beneficial effects." Regimen, regime, and, later, regiment (n.), all from the same Latin verb, were not always clearly distinguished in English, and as recently as late 19c. each of the first two was used even by careful writers in senses now restricted to the other. 

regimental(adj.)

"of or pertaining to a regiment," 1650s, from regiment (n.) + -al (1). Regimentals (n.), "dress proper to a particular regiment, military uniform," is attested from 1742.

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colonel
"chief commander of a regiment of troops," 1540s, coronell, from French coronel (16c.), modified by dissimilation from Italian...colonnella "commander of the column of soldiers at the head of a regiment," from compagna colonella "little column company...
cadre
scheme" (1830); from French cadre, literally "a frame of a picture" (16c.), so, "a detachment forming the skeleton of a regiment...
battalion
The specific sense of "part of a regiment" is from 1708....
major
His chief duties consist in superintending the exercises of his regiment or battalion, and in putting in execution the commands...
ensign
Until 1871 one of the lowest grades of commissioned officers in a British army infantry regiment, also a rank in the American...
martinet
"It was his responsibility to introduce and enforce the drill and strict discipline of the French regiment of Guards across...
snooker
Sir Neville Chamberlain (1866-1944), not to be confused with the prime minister, at the time subaltern in the Devonshire Regiment...
assign
c. 1300, "to transfer, convey, bequeath (property); appoint (to someone a task to be done); order, direct (someone to do something); fix, settle, determine; appoint or set (a time); indicate, point out," from Old French assigner "assign, set (a date, etc.); appoint legally; allot
form
c. 1200, forme, fourme, "semblance, image, likeness," from Old French forme, fourme, "physical form, appearance; pleasing looks; shape, image; way, manner" (12c.), from Latin forma "form, contour, figure, shape; appearance, looks; a fine form, beauty; an outline, a model, pattern
from
Old English fram, preposition denoting departure or movement away in time or space, from Proto-Germanic *fra "forward, away from" (source also of Old Saxon, Old High German, Gothic fram "from, away," Old Norse fra "from," fram "forward"), from PIE *pro-mo-, suffixed form of *pro

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