rail

Where does the word "rail" come from? It comes from Latin regula, passing through Old French before entering English (1300s).

Rail’s story begins in Latin: regula meant “straight stick, rule.” The root of 'rule' and 'regular'. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Old French as reille. A straight bar of wood or metal. It reached English by 1300s as rail. Railways date from the 1820s. Today, rail means a bar forming part of a fence; a railway track.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient regula "straight stick, rule", the root of 'rule' and 'regular'.
2. Stage 2 · Old French · medieval reille "bar, bolt", a straight bar of wood or metal.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s rail "bar, fence", railways date from the 1820s.