precept

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(prē'sĕpt') pronunciation
n.
  1. A rule or principle prescribing a particular course of action or conduct.
  2. Law. An authorized direction or order; a writ.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin praeceptum, from neuter past participle of praecipere, to advise, teach : prae-, pre- + capere, to take.]


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noun

    A principle governing affairs within or among political units: canon, decree, edict, institute, law, ordinance, prescription, regulation, rule. See law.

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

An order, writ, warrant, or process. An order or direction, emanating from authority, to an officer or body of officers, commanding that officer or those officers to do some act within the scope of their powers. Rule imposing a standard of conduct or action.

In English law, the direction issued by a sheriff to the proper returning officers of cities and boroughs within his jurisdiction for the election of members to serve in parliament.

In old French law, a kind of letters issued by the king in subversion of the laws, being orders to the judges to do or tolerate things contrary to law.

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precept

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A principle intended as a general rule.

pronunciation The simplest and shortest ethical precept is to be served as little as possible . . . and to serve others as much as possible. — Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)

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  See crossword solutions for the clue Precept.

A precept (from the Latin: præcipere, to teach) is a commandment, instruction, or order intended as an authoritative rule of action.

Contents

Religion

In religion, precepts are usually commands respecting moral conduct.

Christianity

The term is encountered frequently in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures; e.g.:

Thou hast commanded thy precepts to be kept diligently. O that my ways may be steadfast in keeping thy statutes!

The term given in the RSV as "precepts" corresponds with the reading in the Hebrew Bible. The Septuagint (Samuel Rengster edition) has Greek entolas, which, too, may may be rendered with precepts.

Roman Catholic Canon law, which is based on Roman Law, makes a distinction between precept and law in Canon 49:

A singular precept is a decree which directly and legitimately enjoins a specific person or persons to do or omit something, especially in order to urge the observance of law.

Also in Catholicism, the "Commandments of the Church" may also be called "Precepts of the Church".

Buddhism

In Buddhism, the fundamental code of ethics is known as the Five Precepts (Pañcaśīla in Sanskrit, or Pañcasīla in Pāli), practiced by laypeople, either for a given period of time or for a lifetime. There are other levels of precepts, varying amongst traditions. In Theravadan tradition there are Eight Precepts, Ten Precepts and the Patimokkha. Eight Precepts are a more rigorous practice for laypeople. Ten Precepts are the training-rules for samaneras (male) and samaneris (female), novice monks and nuns. And the Patimokkha is the basic Theravada code of [monastic] discipline, consisting of 227 rules for monks (bhikkhus) and 311 for nuns (bhikkhunis).

Secular law

In secular law, a precept is a command in writing; a species of writ issuing from a court or other legal authority. It is now chiefly used of an order demanding payment. The Latin form praecipe (i.e., enjoin, command) is used of the note of instructions delivered by a plaintiff or his lawyer to be filed by the officer of the court, giving the names of the plaintiff and defendant.

Higher education

Princeton University uses the term precept to describe what many other universities refer to as recitations: large classes are often divided into several smaller discussion sections called precepts, which are led by the professor or graduate teaching assistants. Precepts or recitations usually meet once a week to supplement the lectures and provide a venue for discussion of the course material.[1]

References

  1. ^ Aaron Sommers, The Nature of Time. Preceptorial University of New Hampshire.[1]
  • Article entolē in Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament, H. Balz and G. Schneider (ed.), Edinburgh 1990, Vol. I, p. 459-60, which also cites sources for a discussion of the term's distinction from Greek nomos/"law".
  • The Code of Canon Law, 1983, in the English translation prepared by the Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland [2]
  • The Oxford English Dictionary lists the origen of precept as from the Latin roots of pre-septum. Thus precept is a pre coming-together/closure.
  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainChisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
  •  This article incorporates text from the public domain 1913 Webster's Dictionary.

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - rettesnor, anvisning

Nederlands (Dutch)
voorschrift, gebod

Français (French)
n. - précepte

Deutsch (German)
n. - Grundsatz, Prinzip

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (ηθική) αρχή, κανόνας, ηθική επιταγή, (ηθικό) δίδαγμα, διαταγή, παραίνεση

Italiano (Italian)
comandamento, precetto, disposizione, norma, regola

Português (Portuguese)
n. - preceito (m), norma (f), ordem judicial (f)

Русский (Russian)
предписание, наставление

Español (Spanish)
n. - orden, mandamiento, mandato, disposición, ordenanza, precepto, prescripción, regla

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - föreskrift, regel, (officiell) skrivelse

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
训诫, 戒律, 规则, 规律, 格言, 箴言, 命令, 令状

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 訓誡, 戒律, 規則, 規律, 格言, 箴言, 命令, 令狀

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 교훈, 가르침

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 教訓, 格言

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) حكم, أمر, وصيه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮צו, כלל התנהגות, מצווה, הוראה‬


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