Word of the Day for Wednesday, May 26, 2010
regnant REG-nuhnt, adjective:
1. Prevalent; widespread.
2. Reigning; ruling (usually used following the noun it modifies): a queen regnant.
3. Exercising authority, rule, or influence.
The mere fact that it was the regnant authority in the State of Louisiana at that time does not give validity or legality to its acts or its officers.
-- Isaac Grant Thompson, Irving Browne, The American Reports (Volume 20); Containing All Decisions of General Interest Decided in the Courts of Last Resort of the Several States
On the superlative opening track "Dance Yrself Clean" Murphy mutters over pattering percussion before erupting into a crisp, feel-good, electronic frenzy. "I miss the way the night comes/ With friends who always make it feel good/ This basement has a cold glow/ Though it's better than a bunch of others," he laments, foreshadowing the more sentimental tone regnant throughout.
-- Raghav Mehta, Review: LCD Soundsystem's "This is Happening" Minnesota Daily
Regnant relates to the Latin regnans, "to rule", a verb that is the ancestor of numerous related English words, such as reign.
Sognami Community Member 
|
|
