regulus

[ reg-yuh-luh s ]

/ ˈrɛg yə ləs /

noun, plural reg·u·lus·es, reg·u·li [reg-yuh-lahy] /ˈrɛg yəˌlaɪ/.

(initial capital letter) Astronomy. a first magnitude star in the constellation Leo.

Metallurgy.

the metallic mass that forms beneath the slag at the bottom of the crucible or furnace in smelting ores.
an impure intermediate product obtained in smelting ores.

Origin of regulus

1550–60; < Latin rēgulus literally, little king (diminutive of rēx); in early chemistry, antimony, so called because it readily combines with gold (the king of metals); see -ule

Definition for regulus (2 of 2)

Regulus

[ reg-yuh-luh s ]

/ ˈrɛg yə ləs /

noun

Marcus A·til·i·us

[uh-til-ee-uh s] /əˈtɪl i əs/, died 250? b.c., Roman general.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for regulus

Our intention, it must be confessed, however, was to seize the Regulus in the confusion.
Ned Myers|James Fenimore Cooper
Advancing to meet them, he took the torch from Regulus's hand and fired a mass of dead and leafless vine depending from the cliff.
Prisoners of Hope|Mary Johnston
It may be resuscitated, like the calces of Antimony, into a Regulus, by re-uniting it with a phlogiston.
Elements of the Theory and Practice of Chymistry, 5th ed.|Pierre Joseph Macquer
Rome cares not for the peace, nor for th' exchange; She only wills that Regulus shall stay.
The Inflexible Captive|Hannah More

Imitations of Regulus are not popular, and public opinion holds them in some derision.
The Man Who Laughs|Victor Hugo

British Dictionary definitions for regulus (1 of 3)

regulus

/ (ˈrɛɡjʊləs) /

noun plural -luses or -li (-ˌlaɪ)

impure metal forming beneath the slag during the smelting of ores

Derived Formsreguline, adjective

Word Origin for regulus

C16: from Latin: a petty king, from rēx king; formerly used for antimony, because it combines readily with gold, thought of as the king of metals

British Dictionary definitions for regulus (2 of 3)

Regulus

/ (ˈrɛɡjʊləs) /

noun

Marcus Atilius (ˈmɑːkəs əˈtɪlɪəs). died ?250 bc, Roman general; consul (267; 256). Captured by the Carthaginians in the First Punic War, he was sent to Rome on parole to deliver the enemy's peace terms, advised the Senate to refuse them, and was tortured to death on his return to Carthage

British Dictionary definitions for regulus (3 of 3)

Regulus

/ (ˈrɛɡjʊləs) /

noun

the brightest star in the constellation Leo. Visual magnitude: 1.3; spectral type: B8; distance: 69 light years

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for regulus

Regulus

bright star in constellation Leo, 1550s, Modern Latin, apparently first so-called by Copernicus, literally "little king," diminutive of rex "king;" probably a translation of Basiliskos "little king," a Hellenistic Greek name for the star, mentioned in Geminos and Ptolemy (in the "Almagest," though elsewhere in his writings it is usually "the star on the heart of Leo"); perhaps a translation of Lugal "king," said to have been the star's Babylonian name. Klein holds it to be a corruption of Arabic rijl (al-asad) "paw of the lion" (cf. Rigel).