Precept

precept
    n 1: rule of personal conduct [syn: {principle}, {precept}]
    2: a doctrine that is taught; "the teachings of religion"; "he
       believed all the Christian precepts" [syn: {teaching},
       {precept}, {commandment}]
    

Precept \Pre"cept\, v. t.
   To teach by precepts. [Obs.] --Bacon.
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Precept \Pre"cept\, n. [L. praeceptum, from praecipere to take
   beforehand, to instruct, teach; prae before + capere to take:
   cf. F. pr['e]cepte. See {Pre-}, and {Capacious}.]
   1. Any commandment, instruction, or order intended as an
      authoritative rule of action; esp., a command respecting
      moral conduct; an injunction; a rule.
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            For precept must be upon precept.     --Isa. xxviii.
                                                  10.
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            No arts are without their precepts.   --Dryden.
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   2. (Law) A command in writing; a species of writ or process.
      --Burrill.
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   Syn: Commandment; injunction; mandate; law; rule; direction;
        principle; maxim. See {Doctrine}.
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PRECEPT. A writ directed to the sheriff or other officer, commanding him to 
do something. The term is derived from the operative praecipimus, we 
command. 
    

100 Moby Thesaurus words for "precept":
      a belief, adage, ana, analects, aphorism, apophthegm, apothegm,
      article of faith, axiom, behest, bench warrant, bidding, byword,
      canon, capias, catchword, caveat, charge, code, collected sayings,
      commandment, current saying, death warrant, decree, decretum,
      dictate, dictum, direction, directive, distich, doctrine, dogma,
      edict, epigram, expression, fiat, fieri facias, fundamental,
      general orders, gnome, golden saying, guide, guideline,
      habere facias possessionem, injunction, instruction, interdict,
      law, mandamus, mandate, mandatory injunction, maxim, mittimus,
      moral, mot, motto, nisi prius, notice, notification, oracle, order,
      ordinance, phrase, pithy saying, prescript, prescription,
      principle, process, prohibitory injunction, proverb,
      proverbial saying, proverbs, regulation, rule, saw, saying,
      search warrant, sentence, sententious expression, slogan, sloka,
      statute, stock saying, sutra, teaching, tenet, text, ukase,
      unwritten law, verse, warrant, warrant of arrest,
      warrant of attorney, wisdom, wisdom literature, wise saying,
      witticism, word, words of wisdom, writ