Dictionary Definition
rule
Noun
1 a principle or condition that customarily
governs behavior; "it was his rule to take a walk before
breakfast"; "short haircuts were the regulation" [syn: regulation]
2 something regarded as a normative example; "the
convention of not naming the main character"; "violence is the rule
not the exception"; "his formula for impressing visitors" [syn:
convention, normal, pattern, formula]
3 prescribed guide for conduct or action [syn:
prescript]
4 (linguistics) a rule describing (or
prescribing) a linguistic practice [syn: linguistic
rule]
5 a basic generalization that is accepted as true
and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct; "their
principles of composition characterized all their works" [syn:
principle]
6 a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon
or the function of a complex system; "the principle of the
conservation of mass"; "the principle of jet propulsion"; "the
right-hand rule for inductive fields" [syn: principle]
7 the duration of a monarch's or government's
power; "during the rule of Elizabeth"
8 dominance or power through legal authority;
"France held undisputed dominion over vast areas of Africa"; "the
rule of Caesar" [syn: dominion]
9 directions that define the way a game or sport
is to be conducted; "he knew the rules of chess"
10 any one of a systematic body of regulations
defining the way of life of members of a religious order; "the rule
of St. Dominic"
11 (mathematics) a standard procedure for solving
a class of mathematical problems; "he determined the upper bound
with Descartes' rule of signs"; "he gave us a general formula for
attacking polynomials" [syn: formula]
12 measuring stick consisting of a strip of wood
or metal or plastic with a straight edge that is used for drawing
straight lines and measuring lengths [syn: ruler]
Verb
1 exercise authority over; as of nations; "Who is
governing the country now?" [syn: govern]
2 decide with authority; "The King decreed that
all first-born males should be killed" [syn: decree]
3 be larger in number, quantity, power, status or
importance; "Money reigns supreme here"; "Hispanics predominate in
this neighborhood" [syn: predominate, dominate, reign, prevail]
4 decide on and make a declaration about; "find
someone guilty" [syn: find]
5 have an affinity with; of signs of the
zodiac
6 mark or draw with a ruler; "rule the
margins"
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
- (noun) From riule, from regula "straight stick, bar, ruler, pattern"
- (verb) From riuler, from regulare.
Pronunciation
-
- Rhymes: -uːl
Noun
- A regulation, law, guideline.
- A ruler; device for measuring, a straightedge, a measure.
- Something to keep order.
Derived terms
Translations
regulation
- Arabic:
- Catalan: norma
- Chinese: 規則, 规则 (guīzé)
- Croatian: pravilo
- Czech: pravidlo
- Dutch: regel
- Finnish: sääntö, ohje
- French: règle
- German: Regel
- Greek: ,
- Ancient: κανών
(kanon)
- Modern: κανόνας (kanonas) , κανονισμός (kanonismos)
- Ancient: κανών
(kanon)
- Hungarian: szabály, előirás
- Italian: regola
- Japanese: 規則 (きそく, kisoku)
- Korean: 규칙 (gyuchik)
- Malayalam: നിയമം (niyamam)
- Portuguese: regra , lei , regulamento
- Romanian: regulă
- Russian: правило (právilo)
- Sindhi: ,
- Spanish: regla
- Swedish: regel
- Telugu: నియమం (niyamaM)
ruler
Translations
to regulate, be in charge of, make decisions
for, reign over
- Catalan: manar, governar, regnar
- Chinese: 治 (zhì)
- Czech: vládnout
- Dutch: regeren
- Esperanto: regi
- Finnish: hallita, vallita
- German: regieren, beherrschen
- Greek: κυβερνώ (kiverno), άρχω (arkho), εξουσιάζω (eksusiazo)
- Latin: imperare
- Malayalam: ഭരിയ്ക്കുക (bhariykkuka)
- Old English: wealdan
- Polish: rządzić
- Portuguese: reinar, governar
- Spanish: mandar, gobernar
- Swedish: styra, regera
- Telugu: పాలించు (paaliMchu)
Derived terms
Extensive Definition
A rule is:
- Rewrite rule, in generative grammar and computer science
- Standardization, a formal and widely-accepted statement, fact, definition, or qualification
- Operation, a determinate rule (method) for performing a mathematical operation and obtaining a certain result (Mathematics, Logic)
- Rule of inference, a function from sets of formulae to formulae (Mathematics, Logic)
- Rule of thumb, principle with broad application that is not intended to be strictly accurate or reliable for every situation. Also often simply referred to as a rule
- Moral, an atomic element of a moral code for guiding choices in human behavior
- Heuristic, a quantized "rule" which shows a tendency or probability for successful function
- A regulation, as in sports
- Procedural
law, a ruleset governing the application of laws to cases
- A law, which may informally be called a "rule"
- A court ruling, a decision by a court
- Norm (sociology), an informal but widely accepted rule, concept, truth, definition, or qualification (social norms, legal norms, coding norms)
- Norm (philosophy), a kind of sentence or a reason to act, feel or believe
- "Rulership" is the concept of governance by a government:
- Military rule, governance by a military body
- Monastic rule, a collection of precepts that guides the life of monks or nuns in a religious order where the superior holds the place of Christ
Other uses
- Rule (song), a song by rapper Nas
- Ruler, an instrument for measuring lengths
- Rule, a component of an astrolabe, circumferator or similar instrument
- Rule of thumb, Acquisition]], a set of guidelines intended to ensure the profitability of businesses owned by the ultra-capitalist Ferengi in the fictional Star Trek universe
- The Rules, a bestselling self-help book
- RULE Project (Run Up-to-date Linux Everywhere) is a project that aims to use up-to-date Linux software on old PCs
- Rule engine, a software system that helps managing business rules
- Ja
Rule, a hip hop artist
- R.U.L.E., a 2005 greatest hits album by rapper Ja Rule
rule in Czech: Pravidlo
rule in Danish: Regel
rule in German: Regel
rule in Spanish: Regla
rule in Esperanto: Regulo
rule in French: Règle
rule in Korean: 규칙
rule in Ido: Regulo
rule in Italian: Regola
rule in Dutch: Regel
rule in Japanese: 規則
rule in Polish: Reguła
rule in Portuguese: Regra
rule in Quechua: Kamachina
rule in Russian: Правило
rule in Simple English: Rule
rule in Finnish: Sääntö
rule in Swedish: Regel
rule in Chinese: 尺
WHAT IS A RULE?
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
Aristotelian sorites, Goclenian sorites,
Procrustean law, SOP, T
square, a priori truth, acme, act, act on, administration, antetype, antitype, apothegm, appointment, apriorism, archetype, as a rule, ascendancy, assize, authority, authorization, average, axiom, balance, ban, bar, barometer, be in, be in force,
be the rage, be the rule, be the thing, be-all and end-all, bear
reign, bid, bill, biotype, blue ribbon, brevet, brocard, bull, bylaw, bypass, call on, call the shots,
call the signals, call upon, canon, carry authority,
categorical syllogism, center, championship, charge, charisma, charm, check, chiefly, civil government,
classic example, claws,
clout, clutches, code, command, commandment, commission, common practice,
commonly, conclude, condemn, consequence, control, convention, crack the whip,
credit, criterion, customarily, customs, decide, declaration, declare, decorum, decree, decree-law, decreement, decretal, decretum, deduce, deem, degree, determine, dictate, dictation, dictum, diktat, dilemma, direct, direction, directive, directorship, discipline, dismiss, dispensation, dispose, disposition, disregard, dominance, dominate, domination, domineer, dominion, doom, drill, edict, edictum, effect, effectiveness, eliminate, eminence, empery, empire, enactment, enchantment, enjoin, enthymeme, epitome, esteem, etiquette, exclude, fact, favor, fiat, figure, find, find against, find for, first
place, first prize, forbid, force, form, form of government, formality, formula, formulary, fugleman, fugler, fundamental, gather, gauge, general orders, general
principle, generality, generally, genotype, give an order, give
the word, gnome, golden
mean, golden rule, good feeling, govern, governance, government, graduated scale,
grip, guide, guideline, guiding principle,
hand, hands, happy medium, have clout,
have power, have the power, have the right, have the say, head up,
headship, hegemony, height, highest, hold, ignore, imitatee, imperative, imperium, importance, in the main,
incidental power, infer,
influence, influentiality, insinuation, institution, instruct, instruction, ipse dixit,
iron hand, issue a command, issue a writ, judge, jurisdiction, jus, juste-milieu, kingship, law, law of nature, lay off, lay
out, lead, leadership, legislation, leverage, lex, lordship, magnetism, mainly, manage, management, mandate, mark off, mark out,
mastership, mastery, matter of course,
maxim, maximum, mean, measure, measure off, measure
out, median, mediocrity, medium, middle, middle course, middle
ground, middle point, middle position, middle state,
middle-of-the-road, midpoint, mirror, mitzvah, mode, model, modus tollens, moment, mood, moral, most, mostly, ne plus ultra, negate, new high, norm, norma, normal, normally, obtain, on the whole, ordain, order, order about, order of
nature, ordinance,
ordinarily, ordonnance, original, overlook, overrule, oversee, oversight, pace off, palms, par, paradigm, paralogism, parameter, paramountcy, pass judgment,
pass sentence, pattern,
personality,
persuasion, policy, political organization,
polity, possess
authority, postulate,
potency, power, practice, precedent, precept, preclude, predominance, predominate, preponderance, preponderate, prescribed
form, prescript,
prescription,
preside, preside over,
presidency, pressure, prestige, prevail, primacy, principium, principle, procedure, proclaim, proclamation, prohibit, promulgate, pronounce, pronounce judgment,
pronounce on, pronouncement, pronunciamento, proposition, propriety, proscribe, prosyllogism, prototype, pseudosyllogism,
purchase, quantity, raj, reading, readout, record, regime, regimen, regnancy, regulate, regulation, reign, report, representative, repute, rescript, resolve, return a verdict,
routine, rubric, rule of deduction, rule
off, rule out, rule over, ruler, ruling, run, say, say the word, scale, self-evident truth, senatus
consult, senatus consultum, sentence, set form, set off,
settle, settled
principle, sorites,
sovereignty,
square, standard, standard operating
procedure, standing order, standing orders, statute, step off, straightedge, suasion, subtle influence,
suggestion, superintend, supervise, supervision, supremacy, sway, syllogism, system of
government, talons,
tenet, test, theorem, top spot, touchstone, triangle, truism, truth, type, type species, type specimen,
ukase, universal law,
universal truth, upper hand, urtext, usually, utter a judgment,
value, via media, wear the
crown, wear the pants, weight, whip hand, wield
authority, wield the scepter, working principle, working rule,
yardstick, zenith