ruler

English

A ruler (measuring device).

Etymology

From Middle English reuler; equivalent to rule +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• audio (US)

  (file)

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɹuːlə(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɹulɚ/
• Rhymes: -uːlə(ɹ)

Noun

ruler (plural rulers)

1. A (usually rigid), flat, rectangular measuring or drawing device with graduations in units of measurement; a straightedge with markings.
2. A person who rules or governs; someone or something that exercises dominion or controlling power over others.
   • 1983, Richard Ellis, The Book of Sharks, Knopf, →ISBN, page 122:

     The carcharhinids are unquestionably the rulers of the seas, because of their abundance, their strength and speed, and their unchallenged position as the number one predators in the marine ecosystem.

Usage notes

In American English, the word "ruler" is often used specifically to refer to such a measuring device that is one foot (12 inches) long. Used in contrast with "yardstick" and "meter stick."

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:ruler
• (measuring instrument): rule

Hyponyms

• See Thesaurus:ruler

Translations

measuring or drawing device

• Afrikaans: liniaal (af), liniale (af) pl
• Albanian: vizore (sq) f
• Arabic: مِسْطَرَة‎ f (misṭara)

  Egyptian Arabic: مسطرة‎ f (masṭara)

• Armenian: քանոն (hy) (kʿanon)
• Asturian: regla (ast) f
• Azerbaijani: xətkeş (az), xətçəkən
• Basque: please add this translation if you can
• Belarusian: ліне́йка f (linjéjka)
• Bengali: মাপনী (mapni)
• Bulgarian: лини́йка f (liníjka)
• Burmese: မျည်းတံ (myany:tam)
• Catalan: regle (ca) m
• Central Dusun: tutuku
• Cherokee: ᎠᏥᎶᏍᏗ (atsilosdi)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 直尺 (zik⁶ cek³)

  Dungan: чызы (čɨzɨ)

  Mandarin: 尺 (zh) (chǐ), 直尺 (zh) (zhíchǐ), 尺子 (zh) (chǐzi)

  Min Nan: 尺 (zh-min-nan) (chhioh)

• Czech: pravítko (cs) n
• Danish: lineal
• Dutch: meetlat (nl), liniaal (nl)
• Esperanto: liniilo
• Estonian: joonlaud
• Finnish: viivain (fi), viivoitin (fi)
• French: règle (fr) f, latte (fr) f
• Galician: regra (gl) f
• Georgian: სახაზავი (saxazavi)
• German: Lineal (de) n
• Greek: χάρακας (el) m (chárakas)

  Ancient: κανών m (kanṓn)

• Hebrew: סַרְגֵל‎ (he) m (sar'gél)
• Hindi: पैमाना (hi) (paimānā)
• Hungarian: vonalzó (hu)
• Icelandic: reglustika f
• Ido: linealo (io)
• Indonesian: penggaris (id), mistar (id)
• Irish: rialóir m
• Italian: righello (it) m
• Japanese: 定規 (ja) (じょうぎ, jōgi), 物差し (ものさし, monosashi), ルーラー (rūrā)
• Kalmyk: кимзә (kimzä)
• Kannada: ಅಳತೆ ಪಟ್ಟಿ (kn) (aḷate paṭṭi)
• Kazakh: сызғыш (kk) (syzğyş)
• Khmer: បន្ទាត់ (km) (bɑntŏət)
• Korean: 자 (ko) (ja)

• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: rastkêş (ku), cedwel (ku)

• Kyrgyz: сызгыч (ky) (sızğıç)
• Lao: ໄມ້ບັນທັດ (lo) (mai ban that)
• Latgalian: linejals m
• Latin: rēgula f
• Latvian: lineāls (lv) m
• Lithuanian: liniuotė f
• Lü: ᦺᦙᧉᦶᦑᧅ (may²taek)
• Macedonian: линијар m (linijar)
• Malay: pembaris (ms)
• Maltese: riga f
• Manchu: ᡱᡳ (c'y), ᠵᡠᡧᡠᡵᡠ (jušuru)
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: шугам (mn) (shugam)

• Navajo: bee ídaʼneelʼąąhí
• Nepali: नाप (nāp), स्केल (skel)
• Norman: relle f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: linjal (no) m

  Nynorsk: linjal m

• Old English: regolsticca m
• Pashto: ختکه‎ f (xatáka), خط کښ‎ m (xat káӽ)
• Persian: خط‌کش‎ (xatkeš), خط کش‎ (fa) (xat keš)
• Polish: linijka (pl) f
• Portuguese: régua (pt) f
• Romanian: riglă (ro) f, linie (ro) f
• Russian: лине́йка (ru) f (linéjka)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: цр̏тало n, ра̀внало n

  Roman: cȑtalo (sh) n, ràvnalo (sh) n

• Slovak: pravítko n
• Slovene: ravnilo (sl) n
• Spanish: regla (es) f
• Swahili: masharti (sw)
• Swedish: linjal (sv) c
• Tagalog: galod
• Tajik: хат (tg) (xat), хаткашак (xatkašak)
• Tatar: сызгыч (tt) (sızgıç), җәдвәл (cädwäl)
• Thai: ไม้บรรทัด (th) (mái-ban-tát)
• Tigrinya: መስመር (mäsmär)
• Turkish: cetvel (tr)
• Turkmen: lineýka
• Ukrainian: ліні́йка f (liníjka)
• Uyghur: سىزغۇچ‎ (sizghuch)
• Uzbek: lineyka (uz), chizgʻich (uz)
• Vietnamese: thước kẻ (vi), thước (vi)
• Welsh: pren mesur (cy) m, llinellydd m
• Zazaki: peymenek c, mastar m

person who rules or governs

• Afrikaans: heerser
• Albanian: sundimtar (sq) m
• Arabic: حَاكِم‎ (ar) m (ḥākim)

  Egyptian Arabic: حاكم‎ m (ḥakem)

• Armenian: տիրակալ (hy) (tirakal)
• Azerbaijani: hökmdar (az), hakim (az), hökmran
• Bashkir: батша (batša), хаким (xakim)
• Belarusian: праві́цель m (pravícjelʹ)
• Bengali: শাসক (śaśôk)
• Bulgarian: властели́н (bg) m (vlastelín), господа́р (bg) m (gospodár), владе́тел (bg) m (vladétel)
• Burmese: အုပ်ချုပ်သောသူ (uphkyupsau:su)
• Catalan: líder (ca) m, governant (ca) m
• Cherokee: ᎤᎬᏫᏳᎯ (ugvwiyuhi)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 統治者 (zh), 统治者 (zh) (tǒngzhìzhě)

• Czech: vládce (cs) m
• Danish: hersker (da)
• Dutch: heerser (nl) m
• Egyptian: (ḥqꜣ)
• Esperanto: regnestro
• Estonian: riigivalitseja
• Finnish: hallitsija (fi)
• French: dirigeant (fr) m, chef (fr) m
• Georgian: მმართველი (mmartveli)
• German: Herrscher (de) m
• Gothic: 𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃 m (reiks)
• Greek: κυβερνήτης (el) m (kyvernítis)

  Ancient: ἄρχων m (árkhōn), ἡγεμών m (hēgemṓn), ἀρχός m (arkhós)

• Haitian Creole: chèf
• Hebrew: מַנְהִיג‎ (he) m (manhíg), שַׁלִּיט‎ m (shálit)
• Hindi: शासक (hi) m (śāsak)
• Hungarian: uralkodó (hu)
• Indonesian: penguasa (id)
• Irish: rialtóir m
• Italian: sovrano (it) m
• Japanese: 支配者 (しはいしゃ, shihaisha), 知事 (ちじ, chiji), 統治者 (とうちしゃ, tōchisha)

• Javanese: ratu (jv)
• Kikuyu: mũthamaki 1
• Korean: 통치자(統治者) (ko) (tongchija)
• Kyrgyz: бий (ky) (biy)
• Latgalian: vaļdinīks m
• Latin: tyrannus m
• Latvian: valdnieks m
• Lithuanian: valdovas m
• Macedonian: владетел m (vladetel)
• Malay: pemerintah
• Middle English: reuler, senyour
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: захирагч (mn) (dzahiragch)

• Nahuatl: tecutli
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: hersker (no) m, makthaver (no) m

  Nynorsk: herskar m, makthavar m

• Old Prussian: rikīs m
• Old Turkic: 𐰴𐰍𐰣‎ (qǧn¹ /qaɣan/)
• Persian: حاکم‎ (fa) (hâkem), حکمران‎ (fa) (hokmrân)
• Polish: władca (pl) m
• Portuguese: governante (pt) m
• Romanian: guvernant (ro) m, domnitor (ro) m
• Russian: прави́тель (ru) m (pravítelʹ), властели́н (ru) m (vlastelín), власти́тель (ru) m (vlastítelʹ), госуда́рь (ru) m (gosudárʹ)
• Sanskrit: अधिप (sa) m (adhipa)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: вла̀да̄р m, во̏ђа f

  Roman: vlàdār (sh) m, vȍđa (sh) f

• Slovak: vládca m
• Spanish: gobernante (es)
• Swedish: härskare (sv) c, ledare (sv) c
• Tagalog: naghahari
• Tajik: ҳоким (hokim)
• Telugu: అధికారి (te) (adhikāri)
• Tocharian B: kamartīke
• Turkish: hükümdar (tr)
• Ukrainian: прави́тель (uk) m (pravýtelʹ)

a female person who rules or governs

• Afrikaans: heersers
• Belarusian: праві́целька f (pravícjelʹka)
• Bulgarian: владе́телка f (vladételka)
• Czech: vládkyně f
• Danish: herskerinde c
• Dutch: heerseres (nl) f
• Hungarian: uralkodónő
• Latgalian: vaļdineica f
• Latvian: valdniece f

• Lithuanian: valdovė f
• Macedonian: владетелка f (vladetelka)
• Polish: władczyni (pl) f
• Russian: прави́тельница (ru) f (pravítelʹnica), власти́тельница (ru) f (vlastítelʹnica), госуда́рыня (ru) f (gosudárynja)
• Slovak: vládkyňa f
• Swedish: härskarinna (sv) c
• Ukrainian: прави́телька (uk) f (pravýtelʹka)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Albanian: ^{(please verify)} sundimtar (sq) m
• Estonian: ^{(please verify)} joonlaud
• Indonesian: ^{(please verify)} pembaris
• Lao: ^{(please verify)} ໄມ້ບັນທັດ (lo) (mai ban that)
• Malay: ^{(please verify)} penguasa (ms)

• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} upravljač (sh)
• Tagalog: ^{(please verify)} reglador, ^{(please verify)} dinasta
• Tamil: ^{(please verify)} ஆட்சியாளர் (āṭciyāḷar)
• Ukrainian: ^{(please verify)} ліні́йка f (liníjka)
• Uzbek: ^{(please verify)} hokim (uz), ^{(please verify)} idora qiluvchi, ^{(please verify)} chizgʻich (uz)
• Vietnamese: ^{(please verify)} cây thước, ^{(please verify)} cái thước kẻ
• Yiddish: ^{(please verify)} ווירע‎ f (vire)

Verb

ruler (third-person singular simple present rulers, present participle rulering, simple past and past participle rulered)

1. (transitive) To beat with a ruler (as a traditional school punishment).

Further reading

• “ruler” in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• “ruler” in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• ruler on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Anagrams

• lurer

---

Cebuano

Etymology

Borrowed from English ruler, from Middle English reuler.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ru‧ler

Noun

ruler

1. ruler (tool)

---

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from English ruler.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ru‧ler
• IPA^(key): /ˈɾuleɾ/

Noun

rúler

1. ruler (tool)

   Synonyms: reglador, panlinya