RULE

A principle or condition that customarily governs behavior

Example: "It was his rule to take a walk before breakfast"

Something regarded as a normative example

Example: "The convention of not naming the main character"

Prescribed guide for conduct or action

(linguistics) a rule describing (or prescribing) a linguistic practice

A basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct

Example: "Their principles of composition characterized all their works"

The duration of a monarch's or government's power

Example: "During the rule of elizabeth"

Dominance or power through legal authority

Example: "France held undisputed dominion over vast areas of africa"

Directions that define the way a game or sport is to be conducted

Example: "He knew the rules of chess"

Any one of a systematic body of regulations defining the way of life of members of a religious order

Example: "The rule of st. dominic"

A rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the function of a complex system

Example: "The principle of the conservation of mass"

(mathematics) a standard procedure for solving a class of mathematical problems

Example: "He determined the upper bound with descartes' rule of signs"

Measuring stick consisting of a strip of wood or metal or plastic with a straight edge that is used for drawing straight lines and measuring lengths