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What is the difference between frequent and regular?

frequent | regular |

As adjectives the difference between frequent and regular

is that frequent is done or occurring often; common while regular is bound by religious rule; belonging to a monastic or religious order (often as opposed to {{term|secular}}).

As a verb frequent

is to visit often.

As a noun regular is

a member of the British Army (as opposed to a member of the Territorial Army or Reserve).

frequent

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) frequent, from (etyl) .Schwartzman, The Words of Mathematics: An Etymological Dictionary of Mathematical Terms Used in English

Adjective

  • Done or occurring often; common.
  • I take frequent breaks so I don't get too tired.
    There are frequent trains to the beach available.
    I am a frequent visitor to that city.
  • Occurring at short intervals.
  • * Byron
  • frequent feudal towers
  • Addicted to any course of conduct; inclined to indulge in any practice; habitual; persistent.
  • * Jonathan Swift
  • He has been loud and frequent in declaring himself hearty for the government.
  • (obsolete) Full; crowded; thronged.
  • * Ben Jonson
  • 'Tis Caesar's will to have a frequent senate.
  • (obsolete) Often or commonly reported.
  • * Massinger
  • 'Tis frequent in the city he hath subdued / The Catti and the Daci.

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) frequenter, from (etyl)

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To visit often.
  • I used to frequent that restaurant.
    Derived terms
    * frequenter

    regular

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • (Christianity) Bound by religious rule; belonging to a monastic or religious order (often as opposed to (secular)).
  • * 2002 , , The Great Nation , Penguin 2003, page 201:
  • A quarter of a million strong in 1680, the clergy was only half as large in 1789. The unpopular regular clergy were the worst affected.
  • Having a constant pattern; showing evenness of form or appearance.
  • (geometry, of a polygon) Having all sides of the same length, and all (corresponding) angles of the same size
  • (geometry, of a polyhedron) Whose faces are all congruent regular polygons, equally inclined to each other.
  • Demonstrating a consistent set of rules; showing order, evenness of operation or occurrence.
  • * 2011 , (AL Kennedy), The Guardian , 12 Apr 2011:
  • April may be the cruellest month, but I am planning to render it civilised and to take my antibiotics in a regular manner.
  • (now, rare) Well-behaved, orderly; restrained (of a lifestyle etc.).
  • Happening at constant (especially short) intervals.
  • (chiefly, US) Having the expected characteristics or appearances; normal, ordinary, standard.
  • *
  • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients, chapter=1 , passage=For a spell we done pretty well. Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand.}}
  • (chiefly, military) Permanently organised; being part of a set professional body of troops.
  • Having bowel movements or menstrual periods at constant intervals in the expected way.
  • (colloquial) Exemplary; excellent example of; utter, downright.
  • Belonging to a monastic order or community.
  • regular clergy, in distinction from the secular clergy
  • (botany, zoology) Having all the parts of the same kind alike in size and shape.
  • a regular''' flower; a '''regular sea urchin
  • (crystallography) isometric
  • (snowboarding) Riding with the left foot forward. BBC Sport, "Sochi 2014: A jargon-busting guide to the halfpipe", 11 February 2014
  • (analysis, not comparable, of a Borel measure) Such that every set in its domain is both outer regular and inner regular.
  • Synonyms

    * (with constant frequency) uniform * (normal) normal * (grammar) weak (verbs) * (frequent) steady

    Antonyms

    * (with constant frequency) irregular * (normal) irregular * (obeying rules) irregular * (grammar) irregular, strong (verbs) * (snowboarding) goofy

    Coordinate terms

    * (snowboarding) switch

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A member of the British Army (as opposed to a member of the Territorial Army or Reserve).
  • A frequent, routine visitor to an establishment.
  • Bartenders usually know their regulars by name.
  • A frequent customer, client or business partner.
  • This gentleman was one of the architect's regulars .
  • (Canada) A coffee with one cream and one sugar.
  • Anything that is normal or standard.
  • * 2011 , Jamie MacLennan, ZhaoHui Tang, Bogdan Crivat, Data Mining with Microsoft SQL Server 2008
  • You separate the marbles by color until you have four groups, but then you notice that some of the marbles are regulars , some are shooters, and some are peewees.

    References

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