Regime

French régime, from Latin regimen — rule, guidance. From regere — to rule, direct. Originally purely descriptive — the ancien régime simply meant the old system of government in pre-revolutionary France.

In political science: any system of governance, including democracies. 'Democratic regime,' 'authoritarian regime,' 'hybrid regime' are standard analytical terms. In American political speech: almost exclusively used for adversary governments. American officials do not refer to 'the Biden regime' or 'the Trump regime' — but routinely refer to 'the Iranian regime,' 'the North Korean regime.' The word's pejorative use in American politics is itself a political choice that encodes assumptions about legitimacy.