Reign

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Reign \Reign\ (r?n), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Reigned} (r?nd); p.
     pr. & vb. n. {Reigning}.] [OE. regnen, reinen, OF. regner, F.
     r['e]gner, fr. L. regnare, fr. regnum. See {Reign}, n.]
     1. To possess or exercise sovereign power or authority; to
        exercise government, as a king or emperor;; to hold
        supreme power; to rule. --Chaucer.


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              We will not have this man to reign over us. --Luke
                                                    xix. 14.
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              Shall Banquo's issue ever
              Reign in this kingdom?                --Shak.
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     2. Hence, to be predominant; to prevail. "Pestilent diseases
        which commonly reign in summer." --Bacon.
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     3. To have superior or uncontrolled dominion; to rule.
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              Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body.
                                                    --Rom. vi. 12.
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     Syn: To rule; govern; direct; control; prevail.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Reign \Reign\ (r[=a]n), n. [OE. regne, OF. reigne, regne, F.
     r[`e]gne, fr. L. regnum, fr. rex, regis, a king, fr. regere
     to guide, rule. See {Regal}, {Regimen}.]
     1. Royal authority; supreme power; sovereignty; rule;
        dominion.
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              He who like a father held his reign.  --Pope.
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              Saturn's sons received the threefold reign
              Of heaven, of ocean, and deep hell beneath. --Prior.
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     2. The territory or sphere which is reigned over; kingdom;
        empire; realm; dominion. [Obs.] --Spenser.
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              [God] him bereft the regne that he had. --Chaucer.
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     3. The time during which a king, queen, or emperor possesses
        the supreme authority; as, it happened in the reign of
        Elizabeth.
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From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  reign
       n 1: a period during which something or somebody is dominant or
            powerful; "he was helpless under the reign of his
            egotism"
       2: the period during which a monarch is sovereign; "during the
          reign of Henry VIII"
       3: royal authority; the dominion of a monarch [syn: {sovereignty}]
       v 1: have sovereign power; "Henry VIII reigned for a long time"
       2: be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance;
          "Money reigns supreme here"; "Hispanics predominate in
          this neighborhood" [syn: {predominate}, {dominate}, {rule},
           {prevail}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  125 Moby Thesaurus words for "reign":
     administration, ascendancy, authority, averageness, be in,
     be in force, be the rage, be the rule, be the thing, bear reign,
     call the shots, charisma, charm, civil government, claws, clout,
     clutches, command, commonality, commonness, consequence, control,
     credit, currency, direct, direction, discipline, dispensation,
     disposition, dominance, dominate, domination, domineer, dominion,
     effect, eminence, empery, empire, enchantment, esteem,
     extensiveness, favor, force, form of government, good feeling,
     govern, governance, government, grip, habitualness, hand, hands,
     hegemony, hold, importance, incidental power, influence,
     influentiality, insinuation, iron hand, jurisdiction, kingdom,
     lead, leadership, leverage, magnetism, manage, management, mastery,
     moment, monarchy, normality, obtain, ordinariness, overrule,
     oversight, personality, persuasion, political organization, polity,
     potency, power, predominance, predominate, preponderance,
     preponderate, pressure, prestige, prevail, prevalence, purchase,
     raj, rampantness, regime, regimen, regnancy, regulation, repute,
     rifeness, routineness, rule, rule over, rule the roost, run, say,
     sovereignty, standardness, suasion, subtle influence, suggestion,
     supervise, supervision, supremacy, suzerainty, sway, sweepingness,
     system of government, talons, upper hand, usualness,
     wear the crown, weight, whip hand, widespreadness,
     wield the scepter