practice
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈpɹæktɪs/
rhymes: -æktɪs
Forms: form: practices
form: practise
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.
Senses: examples: text: He will need lots of practice with the lines before he performs them.
synonyms: rehearsal
drill
dry run
exercise
training
trial
workout
glosses: Repetition of an activity to improve a skill.
examples: text: Being on a team is hard: you're always having to go to practice while everyone else is taking it easy.
text: I have choir practice every Sunday after church.
glosses: An organized event for the purpose of performing such repetition.
examples: text: 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.
ref: 2016, Raphael Vella, Artist-Teachers in Context: International Dialogues, Springer, →ISBN, page 53:
topics: art
arts
medicine
sciences
glosses: The ongoing pursuit of a craft or profession, particularly in medicine or the fine arts.
examples: text: She ran a thriving medical practice.
synonyms: general practice
glosses: A place where a professional service is provided, such as a general practice.
glosses: The observance of religious duties that a church requires of its members.
examples: text: It is the usual practice of employees there to wear neckties only when meeting with customers.
text: It is good practice to check each door and window before leaving.
text: 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.
ref: 1954 August, J. B. Snell, “The New Zealand Government Railways—2”, in Railway Magazine, page 558:
synonyms: custom
habit
pattern
routine
wont
wone
glosses: A customary action, habit, or behaviour; a manner or routine.
examples: text: That may work in theory, but will it work in practice?
antonyms: theory
glosses: Actual operation or experiment, in contrast to theory.
examples: text: This firm of solicitors is involved in family law practice.
topics: law
glosses: 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.
examples: text: He sought to have that by practice which he could not by prayer.
ref: 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:
english: The New Arcadia
translation: The New Arcadia
glosses: Skilful or artful management; dexterity in contrivance or the use of means; stratagem; artifice.
topics: mathematics
sciences
glosses: An easy and concise method of applying the rules of arithmetic to questions which occur in trade and business.
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