regina
noun
regina
1 American
[ri-jahy-nuh, -jee-]
/ rɪˈdʒaɪ nə, -ˈdʒi- /
Regina
2
American
[ri-jahy-nuh, ruh-jee-nuh, -jahy-]
/ rɪˈdʒaɪ nə, rəˈdʒi nə, -ˈdʒaɪ- /
noun
-
a city in and the capital of Saskatchewan, in the southern part, in southern Canada.
-
a female given name: from a Latin word meaning “queen.”
Regina
1
British
/ rɪˈdʒaɪnə /
noun
Regina
2
British
/ rɪˈdʒaɪnə /
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of regina
1450–1500; late Middle English, from Latin rēgīna
Explanation
You might know it best as a female given name, but regina is a Latin term meaning "queen." In English, it's used in specific legal, historical, and biological contexts. In constitutional monarchies like the U.K., the term regina, often capitalized or abbreviated as R, refers to the reigning monarch (if a queen is on the throne) in legal proceedings, as in a court case titled R v. Smith. (If the monarch is a king, the R stands for Rex, "king.") In older biological texts, the queen bee in a colony may be called the regina. And the term appears in scientific nomenclature, as in the North American snake genus Regina, which includes the queen snake, Regina septemvittata.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In February, a team of scientists sent shock waves through the world of paleontology when it posited that Tyrannosaurus rex was actually three distinct species — T. rex, T. imperator and T. regina.
From New York Times ● Jul. 26, 2022
Joining the king in the genus Tyrannosaurus would be the bulkier and older emperor, T. imperator, and the slimmer queen, T. regina.
From New York Times ● Jul. 25, 2022
Earlier this year, a trio of paleontologists proposed that some of the fossils labeled T. rex are different species and should get new names—T. regina and T. imperator.
From Slate ● Apr. 2, 2022
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s skeleton, nicknamed “the Nation’s T. rex,” has been anointed the holotype for Tyrannosaurus regina.
From New York Times ● Feb. 28, 2022
“The queen of the gods, Turner. Write it as though she is telling the story. This is Juno here, regina deum, line nine. Thirty minutes seems about the right amount of time.”
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
Regina Hall, 55, is an actress known for the films “Scary Movie” and four of its sequels, “Support the Girls” and “One Battle After Another.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Vivian Panka is the first black actress to play the role of Regina George.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
But amid the rampant stupidity of the first “Scary Movie,” released in 2000, original director Keenen Ivory Wayans discovered two major talents: Regina Hall and Anna Faris.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Orange County Health Officer Regina Chinsio Kwong said Friday the large exclusion zone around the tank was a necessary precaution.
From Barron's ● May 23, 2026
Regina would take the boy with her when she nursed Schonberg and Bobby would play his great-cousin as the old man sat in bed.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
