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regency

 [ree-juhn-see]   Origin

re·gen·cy

   [ree-juhn-see] noun, plural -cies, adjective
noun
1.
the office, jurisdiction, or control of a regent or body of regents exercising the ruling power during the minority, absence, or disability of a sovereign.
2.
a body of regents.
3.
a government consisting of regents.
4.
a territory under the control of a regent or regents.
5.
the term of office of a regent.
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6.
(initial capital letter) British History. the period (1811–20) during which George, Prince of Wales, later George IV, was regent.
7.
(initial capital letter) French History. the period of the minority of Louis XV.
8.
the office or function of a regent or ruler.
COLLAPSE
adjective
9.
of or pertaining to a regency.
10.
History/Historical. of or pertaining to the Regencies in England or France.
11.
(often initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the style of architecture, furnishings, and decoration of the British Regency, somewhat similar to the French Directoire and Empire styles and characterized by close imitation of ancient Greek forms as well as by less frequent and looser adaptations of ancient Roman, Gothic, Chinese, and ancient Egyptian forms.

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Regency is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
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Origin:
1400–50; late Middle English < Medieval Latin rēgentia. See regent, -ency
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
regency (ˈriːdʒənsɪ)
 
—n , pl -cies
1.  government by a regent or a body of regents
2.  the office of a regent or body of regents
3.  a territory under the jurisdiction of a regent or body of regents
 
[C15: from Medieval Latin regentia, from Latin regere to rule]

Regency (ˈriːdʒənsɪ)
 
—n
1.  (in the United Kingdom) the period (1811--20) during which the Prince of Wales (later George IV) acted as regent during his father's periods of insanity
2.  (in France) the period of the regency of Philip, Duke of Orleans, during the minority of Louis XV (1715--23)
 
—adj
3.  characteristic of or relating to the Regency periods in France or the United Kingdom or to the styles of architecture, furniture, art, literature, etc, produced in them

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

regency
1429, from M.L. regentia, from L. regens (see regent). Notable instances were: France 1715-23 (under Philip, Duke of Orleans), Britain 1810-20 (under George, Prince of Wales, Prince Regent), "in each case with suggestion of debauchery" [Weekley]. In ref. to the style of that
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time, attested from 1880 (there is an unexplained use in Jane Austen from 1793). Cf. Fr. equivalent Régence, attested in Eng. from 1919. U.S. Albany Regency refers to dominant political faction in New York state c.1820-1850.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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