regressive

[Eng. regre ; -ive.] Pa ing back, returning, retrogre ive. rě-grě -Ive-ly, adv. [Eng. regre ive; -ly.] In a regre ive or retrogre ive manner; by return, back. rě-grěs-sŭs, s. [REGRESS, s., II. 1.] rě-grět, *re-grate, s . [Fr. regret desire sorrow, a word of disputed origin. Mahn suggests Latin re -back, and grat us pleasing, grateful (q. v.). Skeat prefers the Lat. pref. re- , compounded with the same verb as appears in Goth. grétan =to weep; Icel. gráta ; Sw. grat a ; Dan. græde ; A. S. grætan ; Scotch greet .] 1. Grief or sorrow for the lo or want of something; sorrowful longing or desire. 3402 trěg-u-la-ble, adj. [English regul ( ate ); -able. ] Capable of being regulated; admitting of regulation. reg-u-lar, *reg-u-ler, a . & s. [Lat. regular is , from regula a rule; rego to direct, to rule; Fr. régulier; Sp. & Port. regular ; Ital. regolare . ] A. As adjective : I. Ordinary Language : 1. Conforming to or in accordance with a rule or rules; agreeable to established law, rule, type, principle, or customary forms; normal. "The Enniskilleners who had joined him had served a military apprenticeship, though not in a very regular manner." -Macaulay: Hist. Eng ., ch. xiv. 2. Acting according to rule; governed by rule or rules; uniform in a course or practice; orderly, methodical, unvarying. "Your least praise is to be regular ." Dryden: Ep. to Mr. Congreve. 3. Established, initiated, or instituted in accordance with rule, custom, or discipline; as, regular troops. 4. Belonging to the regular or permanent army. "The camp at least will be inspected by a regular off i cer."-London Daily Chronicle. 5. Thorough, out-and-out, perfect, complete; as, a regular swindle. ( Colloq.) II. Technically : 1. Bot . ( of a corolla ) : Having its segments forming equal rays of a circle supposed to be described with the axis of a flower for the center; having all the parts of each series of a flower of similar form and size. All flowers are regular at first; thus, a papilionaceous one is regular in the bud. 2. Eccles.: Belonging to a monastic order or congregation. [B. 3.] (Opposed to secular .) 3. Geom.: Having the sides and angles equal, as a square, a cube, an equilateral triangle, . 4. Gram.: Declined or inflected according to the common or ordinary form; following the common form in respect to inflectional terminations; as, a regular verb. IMG:content-0384.png:[blocks in formation] 2. At certain intervals or periods; in uniform order; as, The seasons return regularly. 3. Methodically, duly; as, He attends divine worship regularly . 4. Completely, thoroughly; as, I was regularly swindled.