regina

regina — noun

1. In British law, the title used for the state in criminal case names when the mon

1.nounC1
Definition

In British law, the title used for the state in criminal case names when the monarch is a queen. It comes before 'v.' or 'vs.' and the name of the accused person or organisation.

Example

Regina vs. Smith shows the pattern: 'Regina' stands for the state, 'Smith' for the defendant.

case name format: Regina vs. [defendant]; explains the role of each part

At trial, a Crown barrister relied on Regina v. Adams, a 1998 entrapment ruling.

Common collocations
  • Regina v.
  • Regina vs.
  • R. v.
  • Regina versus
Synonyms
  • the Crown

    broader term for the state in legal contexts, used regardless of the monarch's gender

  • the state

    general term for the government as a party in criminal cases, less specific to monarchies

Antonyms
  • Rex

    the equivalent legal title used when the monarch is a king

Grammar Patterns

Regina v. [defendant]

Regina vs. [defendant]

R. v. [defendant]

Usage Note

Frequently abbreviated to R. in written judgments (e.g. R. v. Adams). This title is used only when the reigning monarch is a queen; when the monarch is a king, the title changes to Rex.

Common Mistakes

The regina is a type of queen.
Regina is the Latin word for queen used as the title of the state in British court cases.
In legal English, Regina is a proper noun representing the Crown, not a common noun meaning any queen.
Regina Elizabeth is the queen.
Queen Elizabeth II was the monarch; the legal title Regina is used only in case names.
Do not use Regina as a substitute for the ordinary title Queen.

2. The Latin noun meaning a female monarch or the wife of a king. In English, it is

2.nounB1
Definition

The Latin noun meaning a female monarch or the wife of a king. In English, it is used when referring to the original Latin word itself, in historical or religious phrases, and on coins and inscriptions.

Example

Mei learned in Latin class that regina means 'queen', just as rex means 'king'.

paired with rex (king) for gender contrast

The title regina was used for Empress Livia and goddess Juno Regina, worshipped on the Capitoline Hill.

Common collocations
  • regina caeli
  • regina angelorum
  • regina pacis
Synonyms
  • queen

    the direct English equivalent, used in everyday contexts

  • monarch

    broader term for a sovereign ruler, not specific to women

  • sovereign

    formal term for the supreme ruler of a state

Antonyms
  • rex

    the Latin word for king

Grammar Patterns

regina as a standalone Latin loanword

regina + [Latin epithet] (e.g. regina caeli)

Usage Note

In modern English prose, regina is usually italicised to show it is a foreign word. The abbreviation REG or REG. appears on British coins during a queen's reign.

Idioms

Regina

idiom

The capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It lies in the southern plains of the province and is the second-largest city in Saskatchewan.

Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan, sits on the Canadian plains about 160 kilometres north of the US border.

Vivek moved to Regina to study agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan.

Word family

  • regal
    adjectiveC1
  • regent
    nounC2
  • regime
    nounB2
  • regicide
    nounC2
  • rex
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

These words all describe a female ruler, but they differ in scope and register. Queen is the everyday English word for a female monarch or the wife of a king; it is the most common and least formal of the four. Monarch is a gender-neutral term for the head of a monarchy — it can refer to either a king or a queen, making it more general. Sovereign is a formal, legal term for the supreme ruler of a state, often used in constitutional or political contexts rather than in daily conversation. Empress denotes the ruler of an empire, a rank above a queen, and implies dominion over multiple territories or peoples. For example: 'Queen Elizabeth II was a beloved monarch for over seventy years,' but 'She was also sovereign of several independent nations,' and 'An empress like Catherine the Great ruled an empire, not just a kingdom.'

queen ↗monarchsovereign ↗empress

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • Regina v.
  • Regina vs.
  • R. v.
  • Regina caeli

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Regina comes directly from Latin rēgīna, meaning 'queen'. This Latin noun is built on the root rēg- (to rule, to govern) plus the feminine suffix -īna. The same root appears in rēx ('king'), and in English words like regal, regent, and regime. The legal use of Regina as the name of the state in British criminal cases began in the 16th century during the reign of Queen Mary I and continued under Elizabeth I and later queens. The city of Regina, Saskatchewan, was named in 1882 after Queen Victoria by Princess Louise, daughter of the queen.