n. 1. One who rules during the minority, absence, or disability of a monarch. 2. One acting as a ruler or governor. 3. A member of a board that governs an institution, such as a state university. [Middle English, from Old French, from Latin regēns, regent-, ruler, from present participle of regere, to rule; see reg- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] regent·al (-jən-tl) adj. |
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