precept

Definitions

pre- (before, in advance) + -cept- (Latin captum, "taken") = "taken beforehand." From Latin praeceptum, "a thing taken in advance" — a teaching grasped ahead of time so it can guide you when the moment comes. A precept is a rule you take to heart in advance: "do no harm" is a precept doctors carry before any patient appears.

Example Sentences

• 1.

  He lived by the precept that honesty always pays.

• 2.

  The school's teaching rests on a few simple precepts.

• 3.

  Moral precepts are easier to state than to follow.