Ruled

How to spell ruled

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce ruled

What does ruled mean?

1. verbPast tense of rule: governed, controlled, or formally decided.
2. adjectiveMarked with straight parallel lines, as on writing paper.

Ruled in a sentence

• verb

  The emperor ruled the region for nearly forty years.

• adjective

  She filled the ruled notebook with neat handwriting.

• verb

  The judge ruled that the contract was invalid.

• adjective

  The accountant preferred ruled paper for his columns.

Where does ruled come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'rule', which came into English in the 1200s through Old French 'reuler', meaning 'to control or govern'. That French verb descended from the Latin 'regula', literally a 'straight stick' or 'measuring rod', and by extension a pattern, standard, or rule to be followed. The same Latin root sits behind 'regular', 'regulate', and even 'ruler', the measuring instrument, because a rule was first a physical straightedge before it became an abstract law. The sense of drawing straight lines (as on 'ruled' paper) preserves that original tool-based meaning, while the governing sense grew from the idea of holding people to a standard. The spelling trap is simply the single 'l' and the silent-looking '-ed' that is pronounced as a 'd' after the long vowel.

How the word is built

• rule (from Latin regula: straight stick, rule)
• -ed (past tense / past participle suffix)