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Webster 1913 Edition

Rule

Rule

,
Noun.
[OE.
reule
,
riule
, OF.
riule
,
reule
, F.
régle
, fr. L.
regula
a ruler, rule, model, fr.
regere
,
rectum
, to lead straight, to direct. See
Right
,
Adj.
, and cf.
Regular
.]
1.
That which is prescribed or laid down as a guide for conduct or action; a governing direction for a specific purpose; an authoritative enactment; a regulation; a prescription; a precept;
as, the
rules
of various societies; the
rules
governing a school; a
rule
of etiquette or propriety; the
rules
of cricket
.
We profess to have embraced a religion which contains the most exact
rules
for the government of our lives.
Tillotson.
2.
Hence:
(a)
Uniform or established course of things.
’T is against the
rule
of nature.
Shakespeare
(b)
Systematic method or practice; as, my ule is to rise at six o'clock.
(c)
Ordibary course of procedure; usual way; comon state or condition of things;
as, it is a
rule
to which there are many exeptions
.
(d)
Conduct in general; behavior.
[Obs.]
This uncivil
rule
; she shall know of it.
Shakespeare
3.
The act of ruling; administration of law; government; empire; authority; control.
Obey them that have the
rule
over you.
Heb. xiii. 17.
His stern
rule
the groaning land obeyed.
Pope.
4.
(Law)
An order regulating the practice of the courts, or an order made between parties to an action or a suit.
Wharton.
5.
(Math.)
A determinate method prescribed for performing any operation and producing a certain result;
as, a
rule
for extracting the cube root
.
6.
(Gram.)
A general principle concerning the formation or use of words, or a concise statement thereof; thus, it is a rule in England, that s or es , added to a noun in the singular number, forms the plural of that noun; but “man” forms its plural “men”, and is an exception to the rule.
7.
(a)
A straight strip of wood, metal, or the like, which serves as a guide in drawing a straight line; a ruler.
(b)
A measuring instrument consisting of a graduated bar of wood, ivory, metal, or the like, which is usually marked so as to show inches and fractions of an inch, and jointed so that it may be folded compactly.
A judicious artist will use his eye, but he will trust only to his
rule
.
South.
8.
(Print.)
(a)
A thin plate of metal (usually brass) of the same height as the type, and used for printing lines, as between columns on the same page, or in tabular work.
(b)
A composing rule. See under
Conposing
.
As a rule
,
as a general thing; in the main; usually;
as, he behaves well,
as a rule
.
–
Board rule
,
Caliber rule
, etc.
See under
Board
,
Caliber
, etc.
–
Rule joint
,
a knuckle joint having shoulders that abut when the connected pieces come in line with each other, and thus permit folding in one direction only.
–
Rule of the road
(Law)
,
any of the various regulations imposed upon travelers by land or water for their mutual convenience or safety. In the United States it is a rule of the road that land travelers passing in opposite directions shall turn out each to his own right, and generally that overtaking persons or vehicles shall turn out to the left; in England the rule for vehicles (but not for pedestrians) is the opposite of this.
–
Rule of three
(Arith.)
,
that rule which directs, when three terms are given, how to find a fourth, which shall have the same ratio to the third term as the second has to the first; proportion. See
Proportion
, 5
(b)
.
–
Rule of thumb
,
any rude process or operation, like that of using the thumb as a rule in measuring; hence, judgment and practical experience as distinguished from scientific knowledge.
Syn. – regulation; law; precept; maxim; guide; canon; order; method; direction; control; government; sway; empire.

Rule

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Ruled
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Ruling
.]
[Cf.
OF
.
riuler
,
ruiler
, L.
regulare
. See
Rule
,
Noun.
, and cf.
Regulate
.]
1.
To control the will and actions of; to exercise authority or dominion over; to govern; to manage.
Chaucer.
A bishop then must be blameless; . . . one that
ruleth
well his own house, having his children in subjection.
1 Tim. iii. 2, 4.
2.
To control or direct by influence, counsel, or persuasion; to guide; – used chiefly in the passive.
I think she will be
ruled

In all respects by me.
Shakespeare
3.
To establish or settle by, or as by, a rule; to fix by universal or general consent, or by common practice.
That's are
ruled
case with the schoolmen.
Atterbury.
4.
(Law)
To require or command by rule; to give as a direction or order of court.
5.
To mark with lines made with a pen, pencil, etc., guided by a rule or ruler; to print or mark with lines by means of a rule or other contrivance effecting a similar result;
as, to
rule
a sheet of paper of a blank book
.
Ruled surface
(Geom.)
,
any surface that may be described by a straight line moving according to a given law; – called also a
scroll
.

Rule

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To have power or command; to exercise supreme authority; – often followed by over.
By me princes
rule
, and nobles.
Prov. viii. 16.
We subdue and
rule
over all other creatures.
Ray.
2.
(Law)
To lay down and settle a rule or order of court; to decide an incidental point; to enter a rule.
Burril. Bouvier.
3.
(Com.)
To keep within a (certain) range for a time; to be in general, or as a rule;
as, prices
ruled
lower yesterday than the day before
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Rule

RULE

,
Noun.
[L. regula, from rego, to govern, that is, to stretch, strain or make straight.]
1.
Government; sway; empire; control; supreme command or authority.
A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame. Prov. 17.
And his stern rule the groaning land obey'd.
2.
That which is established as a principle, standard or directory; that by which any thing is to be adjusted or regulated, or to which it is to be conformed; that which is settled by authority or custom for guidance and direction. Thus a statute or law is a rule of civil conduct; a canon is a rule of ecclesiastical government; the precept or command of a father is a rule of action or obedience to children; precedents in law are rules of decision to judges; maxims and customs furnish rules for regulating our social opinions and manners. The laws of God are rules for directing us in life, paramount to all others.
A rule which you do not apply, is no rule at all.
3.
An instrument by which lines are drawn.
Judicious artist will use his eye, but he will trust only to his rule.
4.
Established mode or course of proceeding prescribed in private life. Every man should have some fixed rules for managing his own affairs.
5.
In literature, a maxim, canon or precept to be observed in any art or science.
6.
In monasteries, corporations or societies, a law or regulation to be observed by the society and its particular members.
7.
In courts, rules are the determinations and orders of court, to be observed by its officers in conducting the business of the court.
8.
In arithmetic and algebra, a determinate mode prescribed for performing any operation and producing a certain result.
9.
In grammar, an establish form of construction in a particular class of words; or the expression of that form in words. Thus it is a rule in English, that s or es, added to a noun in the singular number, forms the plural of that noun; but man forms its plural men, and is an exception to the rule.
Rule of three, is that rule of arithmetic which directs, when three terms are given, how to find a fourth, which shall have the same ratio to the third term, as the second has to the first.

RULE

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To govern; to control the will and actions of others, either by arbitrary power and authority, or by established laws. The emperors of the east rule their subjects without the restraints of a constitution. In limited governments, men are ruled by known laws.
If a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God? 1Tim. 3.
2.
To govern the movements of things; to conduct; to manage; to control. That God rules the world he has created, is a fundamental article of belief.
3.
To manage; to conduct, in almost any manner.
4.
To settle as by a rule.
That's a ruled case with the schoolmen.
5.
To mark with lines by a ruler; as, to rule a blank book.
6.
To establish by decree or decision; to determine; as a court.

RULE

,
Verb.
I.
To have power or command; to exercise supreme authority.
By me princes rule. Prov. 8.
It is often followed by over.
They shall rule over their oppressors. Is. 14.
We subdue and rule over all other creatures.

Definition 2024

rule

rule

See also: rulé

English

Noun

rule ‎(plural rules)

  1. A regulation, law, guideline.
    All participants must adhere to the rules.‎
    • Tillotson
      We profess to have embraced a religion which contains the most exact rules for the government of our lives.
    • 2013 June 22, “T time”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 68:
      The ability to shift profits to low-tax countries by locating intellectual property in them […] is often assumed to be the preserve of high-tech companies. […] current tax rules make it easy for all sorts of firms to generate […] “stateless income”: profit subject to tax in a jurisdiction that is neither the location of the factors of production that generate the income nor where the parent firm is domiciled.
  2. A ruler; device for measuring, a straightedge, a measure.
    • South
      A judicious artist will use his eye, but he will trust only to his rule.
  3. A straight line (continuous mark, as made by a pen or the like), especially one lying across a paper as a guide for writing.
  4. A regulating principle.
    • c. 1604, William Shakespeare, All's well that ends well, Act I, scene I:
      There's little can be said in 't; 'Tis against the rule of nature.
  5. The act of ruling; administration of law; government; empire; authority; control.
    • Bible, Hebrews xiii. 17
      Obey them that have the rule over you.
    • Alexander Pope
      His stern rule the groaning land obeyed.
  6. A normal condition or state of affairs.
    My rule is to rise at six o'clock.
    As a rule, our senior editors are serious-minded.‎
  7. (obsolete) Conduct; behaviour.
    • Shakespeare
      This uncivil rule; she shall know of it.
  8. (law) An order regulating the practice of the courts, or an order made between parties to an action or a suit.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Wharton to this entry?)
  9. (mathematics) A determinate method prescribed for performing any operation and producing a certain result.
    a rule for extracting the cube root
  10. (printing, dated) A thin plate of brass or other metal, of the same height as the type, and used for printing lines, as between columns on the same page, or in tabular work.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

rule ‎(third-person singular simple present rules, present participle ruling, simple past and past participle ruled)

  1. (transitive) To regulate, be in charge of, make decisions for, reign over.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 13, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      And Vickers launched forth into a tirade very different from his platform utterances. He spoke with extreme contempt of the dense stupidity exhibited on all occasions by the working classes. He said that if you wanted to do anything for them, you must rule them, not pamper them. Soft heartedness caused more harm than good.
  2. (slang, intransitive) To excel.
    This game rules!‎
  3. (transitive) To mark (paper or the like) with rules (lines).
  4. (intransitive) To decide judicially.
  5. (transitive) To establish or settle by, or as by, a rule; to fix by universal or general consent, or by common practice.
    • Atterbury
      That's a ruled case with the schoolmen.

Synonyms

  • (to excel): rock (also slang)

Antonyms

  • (to excel): suck (vulgar slang)

Derived terms

Translations

Anagrams

Spanish

Verb

rule

  1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of rular.
  2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of rular.
  3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of rular.
  4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of rular.

Etymology

Pronunciation

  • (UK, US) IPA(key): /ɹuːl/, [ɹuːɫ]
  • Rhymes: -uːl

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