rĕgĭmen, ĭnis, n. [rego], a guiding, guidance, direction (freq. only after the Aug. per., esp. in. Tac.; not in Cic. or Caes.).
I Lit.: regimen equorum exercere, Tac. A. 13, 3 fin. : classis, Vell. 2, 85, 2; cf.: procellis regimen impedire, Tac. A. 2, 23: equarum, id. ib. 13, 3: vocis sermonisque regimen primores (dentes) tenet, Plin. 7, 16, 15, § 70.—
B Poet., concr., a rudder : frangitur et regimen, Ov. M. 11, 552: regimen carinae Flectere, id. ib. 3, 593: cum magnus inhorruit Auster ... Non regimen prodest, Petr. poët. 123, 235. —
II Trop., a guiding , governing , directing; rule , guidance , government , command.
A In gen.: in quo (sc. animo) consilium vitae regimenque locatum est, * Lucr. 3, 95: regimen totius magistratūs penes Appium erat, Liv. 3, 33: rerum, id. 6, 6: summae rei penes Germanicum, Tac. A. 1, 31: regimen tenere, id. ib. 13, 49: cohortium, id. ib. 12, 42: morum legumque, Suet. Aug. 27 fin. : virtutis vestrae, Tac. H. 1, 84: in omnia regimen, id. A. 3, 47.—
B In partic., the direction of State affairs , rule , government , Enn. ap. Fest. p. 278 (Ann. v. 400 Vahl.); id. ap. Censor. Fragm. c. 14 (Trag. v. 381 ib.): regimen suscipere, Tac. A. 4, 9: regimen manu tractare cruentum, Stat. Th. 11, 658.—
C Concr., a ruler , director , governor : regimen rerum, i. e. of the State , Liv. 4, 31, 5: rerum humanarum, Val. Max. 1, 1, 9.