In an episode of one of my favorite podcasts, a famous actress with Italian heritage made an interesting slip with two English words. She used regime to describe the regimen she follows to manage her back pain. The mistake probably stems from the fact that in Italian, the word regime can mean both “regimen” (a prescribed course of action) and “regime” (a government system). This explained why she easily mistook one word for another in English!
I started to think that using regime and regimen interchangeably really isn’t that uncommon in English, especially in writings and discussions about medical and scientific topics. To add more confusion to the mix, there’s also another word that is frequently misused in the context medical and scientific language: regiment.
Let’s look at the meaning of these three terms more closely:
A regime is a form of rule, reign, or system and is frequently used to indicate an authoritarian government or administration.
A regiment is a military unit consisting of troops that are ready for battle. In its archaic meaning, it also indicated a governmental rule.
A regimen is a prescribed course of medical treatment or a systematic plan for health, diet, behavior, physical training, or other lifestyle routines.
The difference between the three words is subtle and only lies in one or two letters. However, those letters can make all the difference when we write about science, health, and medicine for our intended audience! In scientific or medical language, writers and editors will typically only use regimen.
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