precept
noun
pre·cept ˈprē-ˌsept 
1
: a command or principle intended especially as a general rule of action
2
: an order issued by legally constituted authority to a subordinate official
Example Sentences
the basic precepts of a religion I was taught by precept and by example.
Recent Examples on the Web The song mattered more than the author, a pop precept more than a rock one. 
Michaelangelo Matos, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2022 Likewise, the precept that large monuments and tombs are always proof of systems of rank comes up for review. Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 11 July 2022 An argument is often made that the notion of toxic commentary is a wholly vague precept. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 15 June 2022 Another environmental daily double, a precept of both smart growth and climate mitigation, is preserving core forests. Tom Condon, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2022 Surveys find that most people in France regard laïcité as an important precept. Rachel Donadio, The Atlantic, 22 Nov. 2021 This ongoing feedback from regular debriefs ensures the number one precept of a productive performance review: no surprises. Janine Maclachlan, Forbes, 8 Nov. 2021 The basic precept of the best-in-breed concept is to look at clouds and third parties as simply collections of services that can be mixed and matched as an app team's needs dictate. Kit Colbert, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2021 The starters—mac and cheese, burrata, mussels—blithely observe this precept: unfussy, forthright, hearty. The New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2021 See More
Michaelangelo Matos, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2022 Likewise, the precept that large monuments and tombs are always proof of systems of rank comes up for review. Virginia Heffernan, Wired, 11 July 2022 An argument is often made that the notion of toxic commentary is a wholly vague precept. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 15 June 2022 Another environmental daily double, a precept of both smart growth and climate mitigation, is preserving core forests. Tom Condon, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2022 Surveys find that most people in France regard laïcité as an important precept. Rachel Donadio, The Atlantic, 22 Nov. 2021 This ongoing feedback from regular debriefs ensures the number one precept of a productive performance review: no surprises. Janine Maclachlan, Forbes, 8 Nov. 2021 The basic precept of the best-in-breed concept is to look at clouds and third parties as simply collections of services that can be mixed and matched as an app team's needs dictate. Kit Colbert, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2021 The starters—mac and cheese, burrata, mussels—blithely observe this precept: unfussy, forthright, hearty. The New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin praeceptum, from neuter of praeceptus, past participle of praecipere to take beforehand, instruct, from prae- + capere to take — more at heave entry 1
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
precepts
noun
as in principles
formal a statement by an authority of how people should behave the moral precepts of a religion Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- principles
- rules
- values
- morals
- axioms
- maxims
- codes
- laws
- traditions
- fundamentals
- regulations
- commandments
- constitutions
- instructions
- statutes
- directives
- ordinances
- bylaws
- practices
- directions
- habits
- edicts
- regs
- standards
- decrees
- ground rules
- prohibitions
- directories
- acts
- dictates
- behests
- proscriptions
- guidelines
- orders
- manners
- commands
- restrictions
- conventions
- customs
- formulas
- decalogues
- mores
- canons
- guides
- fiats
- interdictions
- blueprints
- charges
- ways
- practises
- bans
- formulae