Regulative
(Reg"u*la*tive) a.
1. Tending to regulate; regulating. Whewell.
2. (Metaph.) Necessarily assumed by the mind as fundamental to all other knowledge; furnishing fundamental
principles; as, the regulative principles, or principles a priori; the regulative faculty. Sir W. Hamilton.
These terms are borrowed from Kant, and suggest the thought, allowed by Kant, that possibly these
principles are only true for the human mind, the operations and belief of which they regulate.
Regulator
(Reg"u*la`tor) n.
1. One who, or that which, regulates.
2. (Mach.) A contrivance for regulating and controlling motion, as: (a) The lever or index in a watch,
which controls the effective length of the hairspring, and thus regulates the vibrations of the balance.
(b) The governor of a steam engine. (c) A valve for controlling the admission of steam to the steam
chest, in a locomotive.
3. A clock, or other timepiece, used as a standard of correct time. See Astronomical clock (a), under
Clock.
4. A member of a volunteer committee which, in default of the lawful authority, undertakes to preserve
order and prevent crimes; also, sometimes, one of a band organized for the comission of violent crimes.
[U.S.]
A few stood neutral, or declared in favor of the Regulators.
Bancroft.
