Irregular

How to spell irregular

9 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce irregular

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does irregular mean?

1. adjectiveNot even, not regular, or not conforming to a fixed rule or pattern.
2. nounA soldier who is not a member of the official, organised armed forces.

Irregular in a sentence

• adjective

  The doctor noted an irregular heartbeat during the examination.

• noun

  The town was defended by a band of armed irregular rather than regular troops.

• adjective

  His irregular working hours made it hard to plan childcare.

Where does irregular come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word descends from the Late Latin irregularis, meaning 'not according to rule', which was built from the negative prefix in- (here softened to ir- before an r) and regularis, 'according to rule'. That second part traces back to regula, the Latin word for a straight stick, a ruler, or a measuring rod, and by extension a 'rule' or standard. English took the word in during the late fourteenth century, originally in church contexts to describe clergy who did not live under a fixed monastic 'rule'. From that narrow sense it broadened to anything uneven, occasional, or not conforming to a pattern. The doubled r that trips writers comes directly from the way Latin assimilated in- into ir- before an r-initial root, so 'ir' plus 'regular' literally gives you the double letter.

How the word is built

• ir- (not, from Latin in-)
• reg (rule, from regula)
• -ular (adjective suffix)