Reguliarium

Reguliarium is a Latin-derived term used to designate a compendium of rules or regulations. The word derives from regula, meaning “rule,” with the -arium suffix indicating a place, collection, or work. In manuscript culture, regularium appears as a label for documents that systematize norms, often issued by ecclesiastical authorities such as abbeys or bishoprics, or by secular authorities responsible for governance or regulation.

Usage and scope vary widely. In ecclesiastical contexts, a regularium might summarize monastic rules, outline liturgical guidelines, set disciplinary measures, or codify administrative procedures. In civil or municipal settings, the term could denote a gathered set of statutes or regulatory norms intended to standardize practices among members of a guild, town, or court. Because regularium is a descriptive label rather than a fixed genre, its structure, length, and content are not uniform across sources.

Historical attestation is relatively sparse and tends to appear in manuscript annotations, catalogues, or informal references rather than as a widely used formal title in printed law or canon law. It is often encountered alongside related Latin terms such as regula, regulæ, regulamenta, or codex.

Modern usage of regularium is primarily scholarly. When it does appear, it typically serves to describe a historical document that functioned as a rulebook within a specific institution or context, rather than as a contemporary legal instrument. See also regula, regulæ, regulamentum, codex, and Latin legal terminology.