Two near-synonyms for “kingly” that entered English by different routes from the same Latin root.
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The sequence below summarizes the cited forms, dates and evidence. It is not a complete scholarly history.
Royal and regal both descend from Latin regalis “kingly,” but dictionaries trace them into English by different routes: Merriam-Webster and American Heritage give royal a Middle English and Anglo-/Old French path, while regal is given either an Old French or a direct Latin route, and Etymonline allows both an Old French and a direct Latin path for regal.
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Word-specific details from cited sources, with sources named beside each claim.
Merriam-Webster and American Heritage trace royal through Middle English and Anglo- or Old French to Latin regalis “kingly,” with Merriam-Webster dating the adjective to the 14th century.
Etymonline likewise gives a French route for royal and adds a PIE reg- root “to move in a straight line” that developed the sense “direct/rule,” dating royal to the mid-13th century.
American Heritage gives regal a Middle English to Old French to Latin regalis path, while Merriam-Webster allows Anglo-French or Latin, and Etymonline allows both an Old French and a direct Latin route.
The two words are thus related forms from Latin regalis that entered English by different routes, with Merriam-Webster dating regal to the 15th century and Etymonline to the late 14th century, so no single coinage year is settled.
Royal and regal are related forms from Latin regalis that entered English by different routes. Doublets: one ancestor, two English words
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