Controlling or managing something according to rules or by adjusting it to work properly.
From Latin regulatus, past participle of regulare, from regula meaning 'rule' or 'straight stick.' The -ing form makes it a present participle or gerund. The concept evolved from the physical idea of straightening or making uniform to controlling and managing systems.
Governments regulate industries, but so do your kidneys—they regulate water and salt balance in your blood using the exact same principle: adjust inputs and outputs to keep everything in the right range.
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