# practice
## English
### Etymology

The noun is from Middle English practice, practique, practyse, from the verb; also compare Medieval Latin prāctica.
The verb is from Middle English practice, practise, practize, practyse, from Middle French pratiser, practiser, alteration of practiquer, from Medieval Latin prācticāre, from Late Latin prācticus, from Ancient Greek πρακτικός (praktikós).
The spelling practice is attested once in Middle English for both the noun and the verb. The noun began to be assimilated in spelling to nouns in -ice; practise (noun) is now obsolete.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈpɹæktɪs/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -æktɪs

### Noun

practice (usually uncountable, plural practices)
* Repetition of an activity to improve a skill.
    Synonyms: rehearsal, drill, dry run, exercise, training, trial, workout
    He will need lots of practice with the lines before he performs them.
* An organized event for the purpose of performing such repetition.
    Being on a team is hard: you're always having to go to practice while everyone else is taking it easy.
    I have choir practice every Sunday after church.
* (uncountable, especially medicine, art) The ongoing pursuit of a craft or profession, particularly in medicine or the fine arts.
** 2016, Raphael Vella, Artist-Teachers in Context: International Dialogues, Springer, →ISBN, page 53:Which is the most demanding? I think that my practice as an artist is 'stronger' because it is the practice that best fuels and balances myself and that generates new knowledge for my other work as both arts educator and creative arts therapist.
* (countable) A place where a professional service is provided, such as a general practice.
    Synonym: general practice
    She ran a thriving medical practice.
* The observance of religious duties that a church requires of its members.
* A customary action, habit, or behaviour; a manner or routine.
    Synonyms: custom, habit, pattern, routine, wont, wone
    It is the usual practice of employees there to wear neckties only when meeting with customers.
    It is good practice to check each door and window before leaving.
** 1954 August, J. B. Snell, “The New Zealand Government Railways—2”, in Railway Magazine, page 558:As a result, New Zealand locomotive design is a curious blend of English and American practice; certainly the American influence has always been much stronger than in Australia.
* Actual operation or experiment, in contrast to theory.
    Antonym: theory
    That may work in theory, but will it work in practice?
* (law) The form, manner, and order of conducting and carrying on suits and prosecutions through their various stages, according to the principles of law and the rules laid down by the courts.
    This firm of solicitors is involved in family law practice.
* Skilful or artful management; dexterity in contrivance or the use of means; stratagem; artifice.
** a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “(please specify the folio)”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC:He sought to have that by practice which he could not by prayer.
* (mathematics) An easy and concise method of applying the rules of arithmetic to questions which occur in trade and business.

#### Usage notes

* British, Australian, and New Zealand English spelling distinguishes between practice (noun) and practise (verb), analogously with advice/advise. In American English, the spelling practice is commonly used for both noun and verb. Both practices are found equally in Canadian English.

#### Alternative forms

* practise (obsolete)

#### Derived terms

* best practice
* business practice
* code of practice
* common practice
* common practice period
* community of practice
* corrupt practice
* custom and practice
* fire practice
* forepractice
* general practice
* hand practice
* in practice
* macropractice
* malpractice
* micropractice
* mispractice
* nonpractice
* out of practice
* overpractice
* postpractice
* praccy
* practible
* practice girl
* practicelike
* practice makes perfect
* practice makes progress
* practice run
* practice squad
* practicewear
* practice what one preaches
* prepractice
* psychopractice
* put in practice
* put into practice
* restrictive practice
* sharp practice
* target practice
* telepractice
* what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive

#### Related terms

* practic
* practicable
* practical
* practitioner

#### Collocations

* best, clinical, common, current, general, good, medical, private, professional, religious, social, universal, widespread
* business, classroom, employment, family, group, labor, law, management, nursing, work

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Verb

practice (third-person singular simple present practices, present participle practicing, simple past and past participle practiced)
* (now US) Alternative spelling of practise
** 1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter III, in Mansfield Park: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 57:I have been a liberal housekeeper enough, but I shall not be ashamed to practice economy now.

#### Derived terms

* practiced
* practicer
* practicing

### References

* 1 2 “practī̆se, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
* ↑ “practice”, in Collins English Dictionary.
* ↑ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “practice (v.)”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
* ↑ “practī̆sen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
* ↑ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “practice (n.)”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

### Further reading

* “practice”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
* practice in Britannica Dictionary
* practice in Macmillan Collocations Dictionary
* practice in Ozdic collocation dictionary
* practice in WordReference English Collocations
* practice on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

## Latin
### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈprak.ti.ke/, [ˈpräkt̪ɪkɛ]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈprak.ti.t͡ʃe/, [ˈpräkt̪it͡ʃe]

### Adjective

prāctice
* vocative masculine singular of prācticus