precept
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Topics: law
medicine
sciences
Etymology: Borrowed from Late Latin praeceptum, form of praecipiō (“to teach”), from Latin prae (“pre-”) + capiō (“take”).
Inflected forms:
form: precepts
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: præcept
pos: noun
tags: alternative
archaic
form: precepts
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: precepting
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: precepted
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: precepted
pos: verb
tags: past
form: præcept
pos: verb
tags: alternative
archaic
Senses:
gloss: A rule or principle, especially one governing personal conduct.
pos: noun
examples: Precept guides, but example draws.
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.
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.
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.
gloss: A written command, especially a demand for payment.
pos: noun
gloss: An order issued by one local authority to another specifying the rate of tax to be charged on its behalf.
pos: noun
tags: UK
gloss: A tax rate set by such an order; the tax thus collected.
pos: noun
tags: UK
examples: The Parish Council is financed by raising a small levy - the precept - on all residential properties within the parish.
New parish [councils] and town councils are formed every year. But the National Association of Local Councils, which represents them, says an unusual number are in the works now. […] Higher-level councils, swamped by chunky issues such as homelessness and children in care, are often happy to hand responsibilities down. Higher-level local authorities must normally hold a referendum if they want to raise taxes by more than 5% a year—something they almost never dare to do. Town and parish councils, which are funded largely through “precepts” on tax bills, face no such restrictions. As their numbers and responsibilities swell, the amount of money flowing to them is growing. Precepts raised £856m ($1.2bn) in 2024-25, a rise of 60% in real terms since 2010-11. […] the government has only itself to blame for the swelling numbers and powers of low-level councils. Its reforms are creating local authorities that are far too large to be truly local. Town councils are its baby.
gloss: To act as a preceptor; to teach a physician-in-training by supervising their clinical practice.
pos: verb
tags: US
intransitive
gloss: To teach (something) by precepts.
pos: verb
tags: obsolete
transitive
examples: [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.
Related words: preception
preceptor
Derived words: preceptial
preceptism
preceptist
preceptive
Translations: