reign

reign
    n 1: a period during which something or somebody is dominant or
         powerful; "he was helpless under the reign of his egotism"
    2: the period during which a monarch is sovereign; "during the
       reign of Henry VIII"
    3: royal authority; the dominion of a monarch [syn: {reign},
       {sovereignty}]
    v 1: have sovereign power; "Henry VIII reigned for a long time"
    2: be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance;
       "Money reigns supreme here"; "Hispanics predominate in this
       neighborhood" [syn: {predominate}, {dominate}, {rule},
       {reign}, {prevail}]
    

Reign \Reign\ (r?n), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Reigned} (r?nd); p.
   pr. & vb. n. {Reigning}.] [OE. regnen, reinen, OF. regner, F.
   r['e]gner, fr. L. regnare, fr. regnum. See {Reign}, n.]
   1. To possess or exercise sovereign power or authority; to
      exercise government, as a king or emperor;; to hold
      supreme power; to rule. --Chaucer.
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            We will not have this man to reign over us. --Luke
                                                  xix. 14.
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            Shall Banquo's issue ever
            Reign in this kingdom?                --Shak.
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   2. Hence, to be predominant; to prevail. "Pestilent diseases
      which commonly reign in summer." --Bacon.
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   3. To have superior or uncontrolled dominion; to rule.
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            Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body.
                                                  --Rom. vi. 12.
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   Syn: To rule; govern; direct; control; prevail.
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Reign \Reign\ (r[=a]n), n. [OE. regne, OF. reigne, regne, F.
   r[`e]gne, fr. L. regnum, fr. rex, regis, a king, fr. regere
   to guide, rule. See {Regal}, {Regimen}.]
   1. Royal authority; supreme power; sovereignty; rule;
      dominion.
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            He who like a father held his reign.  --Pope.
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            Saturn's sons received the threefold reign
            Of heaven, of ocean, and deep hell beneath. --Prior.
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   2. The territory or sphere which is reigned over; kingdom;
      empire; realm; dominion. [Obs.] --Spenser.
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            [God] him bereft the regne that he had. --Chaucer.
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   3. The time during which a king, queen, or emperor possesses
      the supreme authority; as, it happened in the reign of
      Elizabeth.
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125 Moby Thesaurus words for "reign":
      administration, ascendancy, authority, averageness, be in,
      be in force, be the rage, be the rule, be the thing, bear reign,
      call the shots, charisma, charm, civil government, claws, clout,
      clutches, command, commonality, commonness, consequence, control,
      credit, currency, direct, direction, discipline, dispensation,
      disposition, dominance, dominate, domination, domineer, dominion,
      effect, eminence, empery, empire, enchantment, esteem,
      extensiveness, favor, force, form of government, good feeling,
      govern, governance, government, grip, habitualness, hand, hands,
      hegemony, hold, importance, incidental power, influence,
      influentiality, insinuation, iron hand, jurisdiction, kingdom,
      lead, leadership, leverage, magnetism, manage, management, mastery,
      moment, monarchy, normality, obtain, ordinariness, overrule,
      oversight, personality, persuasion, political organization, polity,
      potency, power, predominance, predominate, preponderance,
      preponderate, pressure, prestige, prevail, prevalence, purchase,
      raj, rampantness, regime, regimen, regnancy, regulation, repute,
      rifeness, routineness, rule, rule over, rule the roost, run, say,
      sovereignty, standardness, suasion, subtle influence, suggestion,
      supervise, supervision, supremacy, suzerainty, sway, sweepingness,
      system of government, talons, upper hand, usualness,
      wear the crown, weight, whip hand, widespreadness,
      wield the scepter