regimento

Regimento is a term in Portuguese with two principal senses. The most common refers to a regiment, a military unit traditionally comprising several battalions and organized under a single command. A regimento has historically served as a key administrative and operational formation, with its own insignia, traditions, and a designated commander, typically a coronel. It may be subdivided into companies and battalions and is often assigned to a brigade or division.

The word derives from the Latin regimen, via the Old French regimente, reflecting its original sense of rule and organization. In medieval and early modern armies of Portugal and its empire, as in other European states, regiments formed the backbone of standing forces and were the principal field units for campaigns and garrison duties. In Portugal, Brazil, and other Lusophone realms, regiments bore historic titles and identities that persisted even as higher-level structures evolved; many were eventually reorganized into larger formations such as brigades, but the regimental system left a lasting legacy of tradition.

Beyond the military sense, regimento also denotes a set of internal rules governing an organization. In Portuguese usage, regimento interno describes the regulations, procedures, and duties that regulate the conduct and operation of a body such as a school, a company, or a municipal or religious institution.

Today, the term remains common in historical contexts and in the official designations of some units, especially in countries with long-standing monarchic or imperial legacies. It also appears in legal and administrative language to mean internal regulations.