regnal

American  

[reg-nl] / ˈrɛg nl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a sovereign, sovereignty, or reign.

   the second regnal year of Louis XIV.

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regnal British  

/ ˈrɛɡnəl /

adjective

1. of a sovereign, reign, or kingdom

2. designating a year of a sovereign's reign calculated from the date of his or her accession

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Etymology

Origin of regnal

1605–15; < Medieval Latin rēgnālis, equivalent to Latin rēgn ( um ) rule, kingdom + -ālis -al ¹; see reign

Example Sentences

Before Queen Elizabeth II’s death in September, there had been speculation about whether King Charles III might adopt a different regnal name to distance himself from his namesake predecessors, Charles I and Charles II.

From Seattle Times • May 6, 2023

Tomorrow is the coronation of King Charles III, which I’ve come to understand as a sort of regnal equivalent of a bar mitzvah ceremony.

From New York Times • May 5, 2023

George VI was of course christened Albert, at least in part to mollify Queen Victoria, but went with tradition when suddenly obliged to choose a regnal name.

From BBC • Jul. 24, 2013

It wasn’t until the end of Marcellus II’s reign, in May 1555, that choosing a regnal name became de rigueur.

From Newsweek • Mar. 13, 2013

The tablets are dated by regnal years, no longer by year-names.

From Babylonian and Assyrian Laws, Contracts and Letters by Johns, C. H. W. (Claude Hermann Walter)