irregularadj.n.

/ɪˈrɛɡjʊlə/

Forms: Middle English irregulere, (Middle English irreguleer, inreguler), Middle English–1600s irreguler, (1500s irriguler, 1600s irregualler), 1500s– irregular.

Etymology: Middle English < Old French irreguler (13th cent. in Hatzfeld & Darmesteter), < medieval Latin irrēgulāris , < ir- (ir- prefix²) + Latin rēgulāris : see regular adj., n., and adv.

A. adj. Not regular.

I. General senses.

a. Of things: Not in conformity with rule or principle; contrary to rule; disorderly in action or conduct; not in accordance with what is usual or normal; anomalous, abnormal.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > order > disorder > irregularity > [adjective]

uneven1390

irregular1483

scambling1592

prevaricant1644

eccentrica1649

vagous1660

erratical1698

scrambling1778

unregular1884

1483 Cath. Angl. 198/2 Irregulere, irregularis.

1623 H. Cockeram Eng. Dict. Irregular, contrary to rule.

1655 Campion's Art of composing Musick in Parts in J. Playford Introd. Skill Musick ii. 21 If the Base and Treble doe rise together in thirds, then the first Note of the Treble is regular with the other part, but the second of it is irregular.

1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall II. xix. 148 He..repelled with skill and firmness the efforts of their irregular valour.

1800 Med. Jrnl. 5 27 What proportion the irregular cases may bear to the regular is not yet known.

1850 T. S. Baynes New Anal. Logical Forms 12 Unnatural, indirect, or irregular predication [with the old logicians] was..that..in which the species was predicated of the genus, the subject of its attribute, and, in general, the extensive part of its whole.

1894 Law Times Rep. 71 9/2 The order is altogether irregular, and should be discharged.

b. Not in accordance with, or not subjected to, moral law or principle; unregulated; morally disorderly. ? Obsolete (or merged in general sense).

ΘΚΠ

society > morality > moral evil > [adjective] > immoral or unethical > not conformed to moral order

disordeine1340

disordinatec1386

disordaineda1425

violated1541

disordered1548

irregular1608

deordinate1624

violate1655

1608 D. Tuvill Ess. Politicke, & Morall f. 44 Subject to the commaunde of such irregular and confused Passions.

1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. 63 He hoped shortly to give law to their irregular humours.

1748 J. Hervey Contempl. Night in Medit. & Contempl. (ed. 2) II. 72 May every sordid Desire wear away, and every irregular Appetite be gradually lost.

1794 S. Williams Nat. & Civil Hist. Vermont 159 His appetite the more inflamed by irregular enjoyment.

1804 W. Tennant Indian Recreat. (ed. 2) I. 97 With irreligious principles, irregular conduct is intimately connected.

2. Of persons: Not conforming or obedient to rule, law, or moral principle; lawless, disorderly.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > lack of subjection > unruliness > [adjective]

wildc1000

unthewedc1175

wanton?a1300

rabbisha1387

irregular1395

inordinate1398

unruly1400

misgoverned?a1425

misruled?a1425

misruly?a1425

unruleful1439

seditious1447

rulelessc1460

turbulous1527

undaunted1533

turbulent1538

unordinate1561

rowsey1565

misorderlya1568

disruly1570

rabbling1575

disorderous1579

irregulate1579

disorderly1585

break-dance1587

willyart?1590

unguided1600

inorderly1606

anarchial1609

irregulousa1616

unmasterlya1623

uncomposed1631

obstreperous1641

disriegled1657

ranting1658

rantipole1660

reuling1691

shandy1691

rumblegarie1722

randy1723

obstropolous1727

wanruly1773

polrumptious1787

ree-raw1800

rambunctious1830

roid1874

unordered1929

rogue1948

the world > action or operation > behaviour > a standard of conduct > [adjective] > not conforming to standard behaviour

irregular1395

unformalc1449

informalc1475

disordered1561

monstrous1568

odd1577

irregulate1579

exorbitant1613

free-spirited1613

exorbitating1632

inconformable1633

extravagant1650

inconform1659

eccentric1685

unconformable1702

outrageous1778

unconventional1840

erratic1841

kinky1844

Bohemian1846

radical1869

Bohemic1874

nonconforming1899

hard case1904

jazz1917

offbeat1922

deviant1935

deviate1945

oddball1945

left field1951

way out1955

boho1958

non-conformant1960

sideways1969

1395 J. Purvey Remonstr. (1851) 92 Thei [monks] moun not lawfulli werre..for thanne thei shulden been irreguler bi Goddis lawe and mannis.

1568 (a1508) W. Kennedy Flyting (Bannatyne) in Poems W. Dunbar (1998) I. 201 Ignorant elf, aip, owll irregular.

1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 i. i. 40 The irregular, and wild Glendower.

1606 W. Warner Continuance Albions Eng. xiv. lxxxv. 352 So much the more, though lesse secure, men liue irreguler.

1649 Humble Petition of City of Oxon 7 In case the City punisheth any irregular Freeman for misdemeanor.

1752 E. Young Brothers i. i O, that's the jealous elder brother; Irregular in manners, as in form.

3. Not of regular or symmetrical form; unevenly shaped or placed; disorderly in form or arrangement.

ΘΚΠ

the world > space > shape > misshapenness > [adjective] > irregular in shape

uneven1398

bastard1418

raggedc1450

odd1508

unruled1551

irregular1584

inordinate1667

rambling1676

odd-shaped1704

bizarre1824

scrawled1895

raggedy1896

scrawly1901

free-form1942

1584 R. Scot Discouerie Witchcraft xiii. xix. 316 Diuerse sorts of glasses;..the round, the cornerd,..the regular, the irregular, the coloured and cleare glasses.

1607 T. Dekker Knights Conjuring sig. C1 The most perfect Circles of it, drawne so irregualler awrye.

1665 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 1 105 If curve, whether regular or irregular.

1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 10 Apr. (1965) I. 398 It is..a Palace of prodigious extent, but very irregular.

1803 Gazetteer Scotl. at Bolton A parish of a very irregular figure.

1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby xiv. 120 Two irregular rows of tall meagre houses.

1843 G. P. R. James Forest Days I. i. 6 The surface was irregular.

4. In reference to time or motion: Unequal or uneven in continuance, occurrence, or succession; occurring at variously unequal rates or intervals. Hence of an agent: Doing something at irregular intervals or times; as an irregular attendant, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adjective] > intermittent or irregular

chopping1483

wavering1488

interpolate1547

suspensive1575

off and on1583

remitting1583

intermissive1586

fluttering1590

aguisha1602

intermittent1603

irregular1608

broken1629

intermitting1643

serratile1707

serrine1707

scattering1709

serratic1753

now-and-then1762

remittent1791

fitful1810

non-periodic1836

spasmodic1837

startful1837

interlusory1853

heterochronic1854

heterochronous1854

between-whiles1859

snatchy1861

sporadic1861

spasmodical1864

catchy1869

pauseful1877

aperiodic1879

scratchy1881

nervy1884

spurty1894

off-again on-again1923

on-again off-again1946

on-off1949

1608 D. Tuvill Ess. Politicke, & Morall f. 125 Every thing is presently brought to a most irregular, and confused motion.

1609 Chapman Descr. Fever in E. Farr Sel. Poetry Reign James I (1848) 252 Languor-chill trembling, fits irregulare.

1694 F. Bragge Pract. Disc. Parables ix. 311 When a child would catch a grass~hopper, its motions are so irregular, that he finds it very difficult at all to come near it.

1791 A. Radcliffe Romance of Forest I. i. 27 Her breathing was short and irregular.

1867 M. E. Herbert Cradle Lands iii. 93 The most curious thing about this fountain is the irregular flow of the water.

1869 J. Phillips Vesuvius v. 145 At irregular intervals a different kind of cloud rises.

II. Technical senses.

5. Ecclesiastical (chiefly Roman Catholic Church). Not in conformity with the rule of the Church or of some ecclesiastical order; disqualified for ordination, or for exercise of clerical functions. (The earliest sense in English, representing ecclesiastical Latin irregularis, Thomas Aquinas.)

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > worship > sacrilege > clerical misbehaviour > [adjective]

irregularc1380

scandalous1631

c1380 J. Wyclif Wks. (1880) 242 Þouȝ he be..a fals suerere, a man-quellere & inreguler.

c1386 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale ⁋708 Yet is it to hym a deedly synne, and if he be ordred, he is irreguleer [v.rr. -ler(e].

?1530 J. Rastell Pastyme of People sig. Dvi^v That who so euer were a morderar shuld be irriguler & vnable to receyue holy orders.

1655 E. Nicholas Nicholas Papers (1892) II. 164 The Cardinall of Rets..has gotten a declaration from the Pope, to make all those Priests irregular who have bene lately ordained here in his diocese without his consent.

1885 W. E. Addis & T. Arnold Catholic Dict. (ed. 3) 885 Lunatics, etc. are irregular, so are persons without sufficient knowledge.

6. Grammar. Of a word or part of speech: Inflected not according to the normal or usual method. Also said of an inflection so formed.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > morphology > inflection > [adjective] > with usual mode of inflection > not

defectivec1450

anormal1530

irregular1611

heteroclitous1648

heteroclite1656

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Briefe Direct. 5/1 The Anomala or irregular Verbes of the first Coniugation.

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Briefe Direct. 5/1 Martin Caucius..doth further obserue, that the word doint is an irregular third person from the Verbe Donner.

1669 J. Milton Accedence 24 (heading) Verbs of the third Conjugation irregular in some Tenses of the Active Voice.

1762 R. Lowth Short Introd. Eng. Gram. (1838) 77 The Irregular Verbs in English are all Monosyllables, unless compounded.

1874 Grece tr. Mätzner's Eng. Gram. I. 226 A few irregular plural forms are remnants of the strong declension of the Anglosaxon.

1899 W. R. Morfill Gram. Bohemian Lang. 19 The following comparatives are altogether irregular.

7. Mathematics (see quots.).

ΚΠ

1700 Moxon's Math. made Easie (ed. 3) 142 Those [figures are] called Irregular, which have not the Equality of Sides and Angles, as are Prisms and Trapezia's.

1734 J. Ward Introd. Math. (ed. 6) iii. i. §4 290 An Irregular Polygon is that figure which hath many unequal Sides standing at unequal Angles.

8. Botany and Zoology.

a. Varying from the form usual in the genus or other group; abnormal.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > physical aspects or shapes > shape > [adjective] > irregular or abnormal

irregular1785

1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. iii. 36 One general division of flowers is into regular and irregular.

b. Not having a definite, symmetrical, or uniform shape or arrangement; spec. of a flower, Having the members of the same cycle (esp. the petals) unlike in form or size.

ΘΚΠ

the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > flower or part containing reproductive organs > [adjective] > having specific arrangement or number of member parts

regular1760

decandrous1808

irregular1826

tetramerous1835

pentamerous1848

symmetrical1849

hexamerous1857

isomerous1857

octamerous1857

anisomerous1861

octomeral1871

hemicyclic1875

zygomorphic1875

zygomorphous1879

tetracyclic1880

heteromerous1882

heterocyclic1895

oligomerous1897

pleiomerous1898

decasepalous-

1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. IV. 322 Antennæ..Figure and Size..Irregular.

1828 J. Stark Elements Nat. Hist. II. 87 Shell irregular, always inequivalve.

1857 A. Henfrey Elem. Bot. ii. §435 Order XXXIX. Polygalaceæ..Herbs or shrubs with irregular hypogynous flowers.

9. Military. Of troops: Not belonging to the regular or established army organization; not in regular service; not forming an organized military body.

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > branch of army > [adjective] > irregular

tumultuary1590

irregular1856

non-regular1919

1856 J. W. Kaye Life Sir J. Malcolm I. xiii. 362 The great work of reducing the irregular troops was to be accomplished.

1859 Sir G. Wetherall in Daily News (1869) 12 June In a country like England..there is no sort of irregular troops so formidable as mounted riflemen.

1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. v. 340 The Danes..put the irregular English levies to flight.

1896 T. F. Tout Edward I (ed. 2) iv. 74 His early defeats by the light-armed and nimble Welsh footmen taught him the value of a dexterous and daring irregular infantry.

10. Astronomy.

a. Of a galaxy: having an irregular shape and lacking any axis of symmetry or central nucleus. Also elliptical as n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > constellation > galaxy > [adjective]

irregular1811

galactic1834

supergiant1930

peculiar1936

1811 W. Herschel in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 101 296 By calling the figure of a nebula irregular, it must be understood that I saw no particular dimension of it sufficiently marked to deserve the name of length.

1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 821/1 Among the varieties of form may be noted spiral, elliptic, and ring nebulæ, double nebulæ, and irregular nebulæ.

1928 J. H. Jeans Astron. & Cosmogony i. 28 The irregular nebulae shew the bright line spectrum which is characteristic of a transparent gas.

1936 E. Hubble Realm of Nebulæ ii. 47 About half of the irregulars form a homogeneous group, in which the Magellanic Clouds are typical examples.

1959 Listener 31 Dec. 1152/1 There are a few galaxies that do not fit conveniently into this classification of spirals, ellipticals, and irregulars.

1965 J. Muirden Handbk. Astron. xxiv. 239 Irregular galaxies seem to be the adolescents; spirals are in the prime of life, while elliptical galaxies are bankrupt.

b. Of a variable star: fluctuating in brightness in a way that lacks any definite rhythm.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the universe > star > kind of star > by light > [adjective] > variable

variable1788

irregular1903

period–luminosity1918

1903 A. M. Clerke Probl. Astrophysics xxiii. 363 (heading) Peculiar and irregular variables.

1955 F. Hoyle Frontiers Astron. xi. 190 Certain irregular variables are among the brightest of all stars.

1970 D. H. Menzel et al. Survey Universe xxvi. 551 Truly irregular variables, like R Coronae Borealis, suffer brightness changes in abrupt and unpredictable fashion.

B. n.

1. Grammar. A word having irregular inflection; an irregular noun, verb, etc. (see A. 6). rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > morphology > inflection > [noun] > inflectional irregularity > irregular or defective form

defective1530

heteroclite1580

irregular1611

deficient1647

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Briefe Direct. 3/1 Words ending in l, change l into ux;..Except these irregulars,..œil, yeux [etc.].

1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Briefe Direct. 5/1 The irregulars of the second Coniugation.

a. One not belonging to the regular body; an agent of any kind who does something irregularly; one not of the ‘regular’ clergy; an irregular practitioner, attendant, etc.

ΘΚΠ

the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [noun] > one who is occasionally or irregularly

irregular1619

society > faith > worship > sacrilege > clerical misbehaviour > [noun] > one who is characterized by

irregular1619

1619 W. Sclater Expos. 2 Thess. (1630) 545 The bare opinion of some Ministers, to whom our irregulars haue inclosed sincerity.

1620 Bp. J. Hall Honor Married Clergie iii. xi. 314 The secular Prebendaries of Waltham, were first turned out, to giue way to their Irregulars.

1809 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 21 99 The multitude of practitioners scattered over this country, are comprehended in two classes:—regulars and irregulars.

1893 Chicago Advance 13 Apr. To ask them [regular hearers] to abide at home that the irregulars may find sittings.

b. Military. A soldier not of the regular army; almost always in plural = irregular troops (see A. 9).

ΘΚΠ

society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > branch of army > [noun] > irregulars

tumultuary1654

watch1739

irregular1747

campoo1803

pioneer corps1845

harka1903

Legion of Frontiersmen1905

non-regular1909

1747 Gentleman's Mag. July 315/1 Before six their irregulars..were skirmishing with our advanced Hussars and Lycanians.

1756 G. Washington Let. in Writings (1889) I. 374 With this small company of irregulars..we set out.

1867 S. W. Baker Nile Tributaries (1872) xi. 189 Large bodies of Egyptian irregulars threatened Mek Nimmur's country.

Compounds

irregular-shaped adj.

ΚΠ

1762 R. Guy Pract. Observ. Cancers 159 The Tumour was..a perfect, irregular-shaped Schirrus.

1877 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 424 The separation of irregular-shaped grains.

Draft additions 1993

Usually in plural. An imperfect piece of merchandise (esp. clothing or cloth) sold at a reduced price. Cf. second adj. 5. Originally and chiefly U.S.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > merchandise > [noun] > low quality goods

brayed ware1603

breathed ware1640

mattress1685

third1768

wastera1800

imperfects1862

fifths1881

cheaps1930

irregular1940

borax1942

tat1951

braided wares-

1936 Jrnl. Home Econ. 28 152/2 All textile merchandise is inspected in the mill and classed as first, second, third, etc., according to its degree of perfection... The meaning of irregular varies with the mill.]

1940 Washington Post 1 Jan. 24/5 (advt.) Irregulars... Porcelain-top tables... Only slightly imperfect.

1958 News & Observer (Raleigh, N. Carolina) 7 July 59/4 (advt.) Irish linen... Crease resistant, slight irregulars.

1973 News & Courier (Charleston, S. Carolina) 4 Nov. 11- a/1 A clothing factory gave us a bunch of irregulars and we're busy sewing them up and fixing them so we can give them to people who need them.

1985 Fortune 27 May 48/2 Dollar General has 1,333 stores, also mostly in the Southeast. Half its clothing is either closeouts or irregulars.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

单词	irregular
释义	irregularadj.n. /ɪˈrɛɡjʊlə/ Forms: Middle English irregulere, (Middle English irreguleer, inreguler), Middle English–1600s irreguler, (1500s irriguler, 1600s irregualler), 1500s– irregular. Etymology: Middle English < Old French irreguler (13th cent. in Hatzfeld & Darmesteter), < medieval Latin irrēgulāris , < ir- (ir- prefix²) + Latin rēgulāris : see regular adj., n., and adv. A. adj. Not regular. I. General senses. 1. a. Of things: Not in conformity with rule or principle; contrary to rule; disorderly in action or conduct; not in accordance with what is usual or normal; anomalous, abnormal. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > order > disorder > irregularity > [adjective] uneven1390 irregular1483 scambling1592 prevaricant1644 eccentrica1649 vagous1660 erratical1698 scrambling1778 unregular1884 1483 Cath. Angl. 198/2 Irregulere, irregularis. 1623 H. Cockeram Eng. Dict. Irregular, contrary to rule. 1655 Campion's Art of composing Musick in Parts in J. Playford Introd. Skill Musick ii. 21 If the Base and Treble doe rise together in thirds, then the first Note of the Treble is regular with the other part, but the second of it is irregular. 1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall II. xix. 148 He..repelled with skill and firmness the efforts of their irregular valour. 1800 Med. Jrnl. 5 27 What proportion the irregular cases may bear to the regular is not yet known. 1850 T. S. Baynes New Anal. Logical Forms 12 Unnatural, indirect, or irregular predication [with the old logicians] was..that..in which the species was predicated of the genus, the subject of its attribute, and, in general, the extensive part of its whole. 1894 Law Times Rep. 71 9/2 The order is altogether irregular, and should be discharged. b. Not in accordance with, or not subjected to, moral law or principle; unregulated; morally disorderly. ? Obsolete (or merged in general sense). ΘΚΠ society > morality > moral evil > [adjective] > immoral or unethical > not conformed to moral order disordeine1340 disordinatec1386 disordaineda1425 violated1541 disordered1548 irregular1608 deordinate1624 violate1655 1608 D. Tuvill Ess. Politicke, & Morall f. 44 Subject to the commaunde of such irregular and confused Passions. 1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. 63 He hoped shortly to give law to their irregular humours. 1748 J. Hervey Contempl. Night in Medit. & Contempl. (ed. 2) II. 72 May every sordid Desire wear away, and every irregular Appetite be gradually lost. 1794 S. Williams Nat. & Civil Hist. Vermont 159 His appetite the more inflamed by irregular enjoyment. 1804 W. Tennant Indian Recreat. (ed. 2) I. 97 With irreligious principles, irregular conduct is intimately connected. 2. Of persons: Not conforming or obedient to rule, law, or moral principle; lawless, disorderly. ΘΚΠ society > authority > lack of subjection > unruliness > [adjective] wildc1000 unthewedc1175 wanton?a1300 rabbisha1387 irregular1395 inordinate1398 unruly1400 misgoverned?a1425 misruled?a1425 misruly?a1425 unruleful1439 seditious1447 rulelessc1460 turbulous1527 undaunted1533 turbulent1538 unordinate1561 rowsey1565 misorderlya1568 disruly1570 rabbling1575 disorderous1579 irregulate1579 disorderly1585 break-dance1587 willyart?1590 unguided1600 inorderly1606 anarchial1609 irregulousa1616 unmasterlya1623 uncomposed1631 obstreperous1641 disriegled1657 ranting1658 rantipole1660 reuling1691 shandy1691 rumblegarie1722 randy1723 obstropolous1727 wanruly1773 polrumptious1787 ree-raw1800 rambunctious1830 roid1874 unordered1929 rogue1948 the world > action or operation > behaviour > a standard of conduct > [adjective] > not conforming to standard behaviour irregular1395 unformalc1449 informalc1475 disordered1561 monstrous1568 odd1577 irregulate1579 exorbitant1613 free-spirited1613 exorbitating1632 inconformable1633 extravagant1650 inconform1659 eccentric1685 unconformable1702 outrageous1778 unconventional1840 erratic1841 kinky1844 Bohemian1846 radical1869 Bohemic1874 nonconforming1899 hard case1904 jazz1917 offbeat1922 deviant1935 deviate1945 oddball1945 left field1951 way out1955 boho1958 non-conformant1960 sideways1969 1395 J. Purvey Remonstr. (1851) 92 Thei [monks] moun not lawfulli werre..for thanne thei shulden been irreguler bi Goddis lawe and mannis. 1568 (a1508) W. Kennedy Flyting (Bannatyne) in Poems W. Dunbar (1998) I. 201 Ignorant elf, aip, owll irregular. 1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 i. i. 40 The irregular, and wild Glendower. View more context for this quotation 1606 W. Warner Continuance Albions Eng. xiv. lxxxv. 352 So much the more, though lesse secure, men liue irreguler. 1649 Humble Petition of City of Oxon 7 In case the City punisheth any irregular Freeman for misdemeanor. 1752 E. Young Brothers i. i O, that's the jealous elder brother; Irregular in manners, as in form. 3. Not of regular or symmetrical form; unevenly shaped or placed; disorderly in form or arrangement. ΘΚΠ the world > space > shape > misshapenness > [adjective] > irregular in shape uneven1398 bastard1418 raggedc1450 odd1508 unruled1551 irregular1584 inordinate1667 rambling1676 odd-shaped1704 bizarre1824 scrawled1895 raggedy1896 scrawly1901 free-form1942 1584 R. Scot Discouerie Witchcraft xiii. xix. 316 Diuerse sorts of glasses;..the round, the cornerd,..the regular, the irregular, the coloured and cleare glasses. 1607 T. Dekker Knights Conjuring sig. C1 The most perfect Circles of it, drawne so irregualler awrye. 1665 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 1 105 If curve, whether regular or irregular. 1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 10 Apr. (1965) I. 398 It is..a Palace of prodigious extent, but very irregular. 1803 Gazetteer Scotl. at Bolton A parish of a very irregular figure. 1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby xiv. 120 Two irregular rows of tall meagre houses. 1843 G. P. R. James Forest Days I. i. 6 The surface was irregular. 4. In reference to time or motion: Unequal or uneven in continuance, occurrence, or succession; occurring at variously unequal rates or intervals. Hence of an agent: Doing something at irregular intervals or times; as an irregular attendant, etc. ΘΚΠ the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [adjective] > intermittent or irregular chopping1483 wavering1488 interpolate1547 suspensive1575 off and on1583 remitting1583 intermissive1586 fluttering1590 aguisha1602 intermittent1603 irregular1608 broken1629 intermitting1643 serratile1707 serrine1707 scattering1709 serratic1753 now-and-then1762 remittent1791 fitful1810 non-periodic1836 spasmodic1837 startful1837 interlusory1853 heterochronic1854 heterochronous1854 between-whiles1859 snatchy1861 sporadic1861 spasmodical1864 catchy1869 pauseful1877 aperiodic1879 scratchy1881 nervy1884 spurty1894 off-again on-again1923 on-again off-again1946 on-off1949 1608 D. Tuvill Ess. Politicke, & Morall f. 125 Every thing is presently brought to a most irregular, and confused motion. 1609 Chapman Descr. Fever in E. Farr Sel. Poetry Reign James I (1848) 252 Languor-chill trembling, fits irregulare. 1694 F. Bragge Pract. Disc. Parables ix. 311 When a child would catch a grass~hopper, its motions are so irregular, that he finds it very difficult at all to come near it. 1791 A. Radcliffe Romance of Forest I. i. 27 Her breathing was short and irregular. 1867 M. E. Herbert Cradle Lands iii. 93 The most curious thing about this fountain is the irregular flow of the water. 1869 J. Phillips Vesuvius v. 145 At irregular intervals a different kind of cloud rises. II. Technical senses. 5. Ecclesiastical (chiefly Roman Catholic Church). Not in conformity with the rule of the Church or of some ecclesiastical order; disqualified for ordination, or for exercise of clerical functions. (The earliest sense in English, representing ecclesiastical Latin irregularis, Thomas Aquinas.) ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > sacrilege > clerical misbehaviour > [adjective] irregularc1380 scandalous1631 c1380 J. Wyclif Wks. (1880) 242 Þouȝ he be..a fals suerere, a man-quellere & inreguler. c1386 G. Chaucer Parson's Tale ⁋708 Yet is it to hym a deedly synne, and if he be ordred, he is irreguleer [v.rr. -ler(e]. ?1530 J. Rastell Pastyme of People sig. Dvi^v That who so euer were a morderar shuld be irriguler & vnable to receyue holy orders. 1655 E. Nicholas Nicholas Papers (1892) II. 164 The Cardinall of Rets..has gotten a declaration from the Pope, to make all those Priests irregular who have bene lately ordained here in his diocese without his consent. 1885 W. E. Addis & T. Arnold Catholic Dict. (ed. 3) 885 Lunatics, etc. are irregular, so are persons without sufficient knowledge. 6. Grammar. Of a word or part of speech: Inflected not according to the normal or usual method. Also said of an inflection so formed. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > morphology > inflection > [adjective] > with usual mode of inflection > not defectivec1450 anormal1530 irregular1611 heteroclitous1648 heteroclite1656 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Briefe Direct. 5/1 The Anomala or irregular Verbes of the first Coniugation. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Briefe Direct. 5/1 Martin Caucius..doth further obserue, that the word doint is an irregular third person from the Verbe Donner. 1669 J. Milton Accedence 24 (heading) Verbs of the third Conjugation irregular in some Tenses of the Active Voice. 1762 R. Lowth Short Introd. Eng. Gram. (1838) 77 The Irregular Verbs in English are all Monosyllables, unless compounded. 1874 Grece tr. Mätzner's Eng. Gram. I. 226 A few irregular plural forms are remnants of the strong declension of the Anglosaxon. 1899 W. R. Morfill Gram. Bohemian Lang. 19 The following comparatives are altogether irregular. 7. Mathematics (see quots.). ΚΠ 1700 Moxon's Math. made Easie (ed. 3) 142 Those [figures are] called Irregular, which have not the Equality of Sides and Angles, as are Prisms and Trapezia's. 1734 J. Ward Introd. Math. (ed. 6) iii. i. §4 290 An Irregular Polygon is that figure which hath many unequal Sides standing at unequal Angles. 8. Botany and Zoology. a. Varying from the form usual in the genus or other group; abnormal. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > physical aspects or shapes > shape > [adjective] > irregular or abnormal irregular1785 1785 T. Martyn tr. J.-J. Rousseau Lett. Elements Bot. iii. 36 One general division of flowers is into regular and irregular. b. Not having a definite, symmetrical, or uniform shape or arrangement; spec. of a flower, Having the members of the same cycle (esp. the petals) unlike in form or size. ΘΚΠ the world > plants > part of plant > reproductive part(s) > flower or part containing reproductive organs > [adjective] > having specific arrangement or number of member parts regular1760 decandrous1808 irregular1826 tetramerous1835 pentamerous1848 symmetrical1849 hexamerous1857 isomerous1857 octamerous1857 anisomerous1861 octomeral1871 hemicyclic1875 zygomorphic1875 zygomorphous1879 tetracyclic1880 heteromerous1882 heterocyclic1895 oligomerous1897 pleiomerous1898 decasepalous- 1826 W. Kirby & W. Spence Introd. Entomol. IV. 322 Antennæ..Figure and Size..Irregular. 1828 J. Stark Elements Nat. Hist. II. 87 Shell irregular, always inequivalve. 1857 A. Henfrey Elem. Bot. ii. §435 Order XXXIX. Polygalaceæ..Herbs or shrubs with irregular hypogynous flowers. 9. Military. Of troops: Not belonging to the regular or established army organization; not in regular service; not forming an organized military body. ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > branch of army > [adjective] > irregular tumultuary1590 irregular1856 non-regular1919 1856 J. W. Kaye Life Sir J. Malcolm I. xiii. 362 The great work of reducing the irregular troops was to be accomplished. 1859 Sir G. Wetherall in Daily News (1869) 12 June In a country like England..there is no sort of irregular troops so formidable as mounted riflemen. 1867 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest I. v. 340 The Danes..put the irregular English levies to flight. 1896 T. F. Tout Edward I (ed. 2) iv. 74 His early defeats by the light-armed and nimble Welsh footmen taught him the value of a dexterous and daring irregular infantry. 10. Astronomy. a. Of a galaxy: having an irregular shape and lacking any axis of symmetry or central nucleus. Also elliptical as n. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > constellation > galaxy > [adjective] irregular1811 galactic1834 supergiant1930 peculiar1936 1811 W. Herschel in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 101 296 By calling the figure of a nebula irregular, it must be understood that I saw no particular dimension of it sufficiently marked to deserve the name of length. 1875 Encycl. Brit. II. 821/1 Among the varieties of form may be noted spiral, elliptic, and ring nebulæ, double nebulæ, and irregular nebulæ. 1928 J. H. Jeans Astron. & Cosmogony i. 28 The irregular nebulae shew the bright line spectrum which is characteristic of a transparent gas. 1936 E. Hubble Realm of Nebulæ ii. 47 About half of the irregulars form a homogeneous group, in which the Magellanic Clouds are typical examples. 1959 Listener 31 Dec. 1152/1 There are a few galaxies that do not fit conveniently into this classification of spirals, ellipticals, and irregulars. 1965 J. Muirden Handbk. Astron. xxiv. 239 Irregular galaxies seem to be the adolescents; spirals are in the prime of life, while elliptical galaxies are bankrupt. b. Of a variable star: fluctuating in brightness in a way that lacks any definite rhythm. ΘΚΠ the world > the universe > star > kind of star > by light > [adjective] > variable variable1788 irregular1903 period–luminosity1918 1903 A. M. Clerke Probl. Astrophysics xxiii. 363 (heading) Peculiar and irregular variables. 1955 F. Hoyle Frontiers Astron. xi. 190 Certain irregular variables are among the brightest of all stars. 1970 D. H. Menzel et al. Survey Universe xxvi. 551 Truly irregular variables, like R Coronae Borealis, suffer brightness changes in abrupt and unpredictable fashion. B. n. 1. Grammar. A word having irregular inflection; an irregular noun, verb, etc. (see A. 6). rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > morphology > inflection > [noun] > inflectional irregularity > irregular or defective form defective1530 heteroclite1580 irregular1611 deficient1647 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Briefe Direct. 3/1 Words ending in l, change l into ux;..Except these irregulars,..œil, yeux [etc.]. 1611 R. Cotgrave Dict. French & Eng. Tongues Briefe Direct. 5/1 The irregulars of the second Coniugation. 2. a. One not belonging to the regular body; an agent of any kind who does something irregularly; one not of the ‘regular’ clergy; an irregular practitioner, attendant, etc. ΘΚΠ the world > time > frequency > infrequency > [noun] > one who is occasionally or irregularly irregular1619 society > faith > worship > sacrilege > clerical misbehaviour > [noun] > one who is characterized by irregular1619 1619 W. Sclater Expos. 2 Thess. (1630) 545 The bare opinion of some Ministers, to whom our irregulars haue inclosed sincerity. 1620 Bp. J. Hall Honor Married Clergie iii. xi. 314 The secular Prebendaries of Waltham, were first turned out, to giue way to their Irregulars. 1809 Med. & Physical Jrnl. 21 99 The multitude of practitioners scattered over this country, are comprehended in two classes:—regulars and irregulars. 1893 Chicago Advance 13 Apr. To ask them [regular hearers] to abide at home that the irregulars may find sittings. b. Military. A soldier not of the regular army; almost always in plural = irregular troops (see A. 9). ΘΚΠ society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > branch of army > [noun] > irregulars tumultuary1654 watch1739 irregular1747 campoo1803 pioneer corps1845 harka1903 Legion of Frontiersmen1905 non-regular1909 1747 Gentleman's Mag. July 315/1 Before six their irregulars..were skirmishing with our advanced Hussars and Lycanians. 1756 G. Washington Let. in Writings (1889) I. 374 With this small company of irregulars..we set out. 1867 S. W. Baker Nile Tributaries (1872) xi. 189 Large bodies of Egyptian irregulars threatened Mek Nimmur's country. Compounds irregular-shaped adj. ΚΠ 1762 R. Guy Pract. Observ. Cancers 159 The Tumour was..a perfect, irregular-shaped Schirrus. 1877 R. W. Raymond Statistics Mines & Mining 424 The separation of irregular-shaped grains. Draft additions 1993 Usually in plural. An imperfect piece of merchandise (esp. clothing or cloth) sold at a reduced price. Cf. second adj. 5. Originally and chiefly U.S. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > merchandise > [noun] > low quality goods brayed ware1603 breathed ware1640 mattress1685 third1768 wastera1800 imperfects1862 fifths1881 cheaps1930 irregular1940 borax1942 tat1951 braided wares- 1936 Jrnl. Home Econ. 28 152/2 All textile merchandise is inspected in the mill and classed as first, second, third, etc., according to its degree of perfection... The meaning of irregular varies with the mill.] 1940 Washington Post 1 Jan. 24/5 (advt.) Irregulars... Porcelain-top tables... Only slightly imperfect. 1958 News & Observer (Raleigh, N. Carolina) 7 July 59/4 (advt.) Irish linen... Crease resistant, slight irregulars. 1973 News & Courier (Charleston, S. Carolina) 4 Nov. 11- a/1 A clothing factory gave us a bunch of irregulars and we're busy sewing them up and fixing them so we can give them to people who need them. 1985 Fortune 27 May 48/2 Dollar General has 1,333 stores, also mostly in the Southeast. Half its clothing is either closeouts or irregulars. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1900; most recently modified version published online December 2021). < adj.n.c1380
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