Andrew Arth
3.17.20
Acta
Verbum Deep Dive
Rex, rēgis m.
In its most basic context the latin word rex, rēgis m. can be defined as a king, ruler, or sovereign and thus has numerous ties to accounts and records of orators, historians, and poets alike. This common thread between all manipulators of language ensures that rex, rēgis is the 107th most frequently found word in Latin texts. With that said, these authors are not always referring to a king or a ruler, but rather morphing the word rex, rēgis to fit the parameters of their work. For example, Vergil often referred to the leader or chief, Aeneas, as a rex in order to further cement that character’s position within the poem. Likewise, the gods, namely Jupiter or Saturn, were often referred to as kings by Cicero in orations or in Vergil’s epics. The word also spawned meanings in reference to animals such as the lion, the eagle, and the bull for obvious reasons, even crossing the boundaries of the noun’s determined gender to describe a queen bee by the famously boundary-crossing Vergil. Likewise, Julius Caesar often used the word in his writings during the Gallic Wars as he both attempted to become a “rex” himself and to take down other “reges” from across the land. Above all, rex is a word which reigns, an english word stemming from the undoubtedly related verb rēgnāre…regnum, over all other words and its connotation speaks for itself.
“Nulla est enim natio, quam pertimescamus, nullus rex, qui bellum populo Romano facere possit.” -Cicero, Catalinarian, Book 2.11
“Quod si regum atque imperatorum animi virtus in pace ita ut in bello valeret” -Sallust, Bellum Catilinae, Book 2