Regolamentare

Regolamentare is an Italian verb meaning to regulate by establishing rules and standards. It is commonly used in legal, administrative, and policy contexts to describe the act of creating, implementing, or enforcing rules that govern a behavior, activity, or process. The verb is transitive, and its past participle is regolamentato (e.g., regulated). The noun form for the act of regulation is regolamentazione.

Etymology and form: Regolamentare derives from regolamento (regulation) plus the standard -are verb suffix, with roots in Latin regulamentum, a term referring to a rule or standard. This origin underlines its central sense of imposing or organizing rules.

Usage and nuance: Regolamentare is primarily a verb. In practice, Italian often prefers other adjectives such as normativo or regolatorio when describing regulatory aspects, while regolamentare emphasizes the process of establishing or applying rules. It appears in official documents, legislation, and policy discussions to indicate active regulation rather than describing a finished regulatory framework. Example constructions include regolamentare l’attività economica or regolamentare l’accesso a un mercato.

Related terms: The related noun is regolamentazione (regulation or the act of regulating), while regolamento denotes a specific set of rules. Related agents include regolatore (regulator) and normative or normativa (normative framework or regulations).

See also: regolamento, regolamentazione, regolatore, normativa.