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precept

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Late Latin praeceptum, form of praecipiō (to teach), from Latin prae (pre-) + capiō (take).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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precept (plural precepts)

  1. A rule or principle, especially one governing personal conduct.
    Precept guides, but example draws.
    • 1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. [], London: [] J[acob] Tonson, [], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2:
      By Heav’ns, ſuch Virtues, join’d with ſuch Succeſs,
      Diſtract my very Soul: Our Father’s Fortune
      Wou’d almoſt tempt us to renounce his Precepts.
    • 1891, Susan Hale, Mexico (The Story of the Nations), volume 27, London: T. Fisher Unwin, page 80:
      He found a people in the extreme of barbarism living in caves, feeding upon the bloody flesh of animals they killed in hunting; he taught them many things, so that by his example, and for generations after he left them by his precepts, they advanced to high civilization.
    • 2006, Theodore Dalrymple, The Gift of Language[1]:
      I need hardly point out that Pinker doesn't really believe anything of what he writes, at least if example is stronger evidence of belief than precept.
  2. (law) A written command, especially a demand for payment.
  3. (UK) An order issued by one local authority to another specifying the rate of tax to be charged on its behalf.
    1. A rate or tax set by a precept.
      • The Parish Council is financed by raising a small levy - the precept - on all residential properties within the parish. [2]

Translations

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Verb

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precept (third-person singular simple present precepts, present participle precepting, simple past and past participle precepted)

  1. (intransitive, chiefly US, medicine) To act as a preceptor; to teach a physician-in-training by supervising their clinical practice.
  2. (transitive, obsolete) To teach (something) by precepts.
    • 1603 (date written), [Francis] Bacon, “Valerius Terminus: Of the Interpretation of Nature; with the Annotations of Hermes Stella. Chapter XI. The Chapter Immediately Following the Inventary; Being the 11th in Order, a Part thereof.”, in Robert Stephens, compiler, edited by [John Lockyer], Letters and Remains of the Lord Chancellor Bacon, London: [] W[illiam] Bowyer, published 1734, →OCLC, page 411:
      [T]he tvvo commended rules by him [Aristotle] ſet down, vvhereby the axioms of Sciences are precepted to be made convertible, and vvhich the latter men have not vvithout elegancy ſurnamed; the one the rule of truth, becauſe it preventeth deceipt; the other the rule of prudence, becauſe it freeth election, are the ſame thing in ſpeculation and affirmation, vvhich vve novv obſerve.

Further reading

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Anagrams

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Old Irish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Late Latin praeceptum, form of praecipiō (to teach), from prae (pre-) + capiō (take).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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precept f (genitive precepte)

  1. verbal noun of pridchaid

For quotations using this term, see Citations:precept.

Inflection

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Feminine ā-stem
Singular Dual Plural
Nominative preceptL preceptL, preceupt preceptaH
Vocative preceptL preceptL, preceupt preceptaH
Accusative preceptN, preceupt preceptL, preceupt preceptaH
Genitive precepteH, preceptae preceptL preceptN
Dative preceptL, preceupt preceptaib preceptaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective:
  • H = triggers aspiration
  • L = triggers lenition
  • N = triggers nasalization

Mutation

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Mutation of precept
radical lenition nasalization
precept phrecept
or unchanged
precept
pronounced with /b(ʲ)-/

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French précepte, from Latin praeceptum.

Noun

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precept n (plural precepte)

  1. precept

Declension

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singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative-accusative precept preceptul precepte preceptele
genitive-dative precept preceptului precepte preceptelor
vocative preceptule preceptelor