discipline

¹dis·ci·pline

noun \ˈdi-sə-plən\

Definition of DISCIPLINE

1

: punishment

2

obsolete : instruction

3

: a field of study

4

: training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character

5

a : control gained by enforcing obedience or order b : orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior c : self-control

6

: a rule or system of rules governing conduct or activity

— dis·ci·plin·al \-plə-n^əl\ adjective

Examples of DISCIPLINE

1. The teacher has a hard time maintaining discipline in the classroom.
2. The troops were praised for their dedication and discipline.
3. Some parents feel that the school's principal has been too harsh in meting out discipline.
4. Keeping a journal is a good discipline for a writer.
5. Sir Robert Peel is credited with creating the first modern police force, the bobbies, in London, in 1829, but the transformation of law enforcement, and especially forensic science, into a professional discipline was a haphazard affair. —Jeffrey Toobin, New Yorker, 7 May 2007
6. Pragmatism became America's most important contribution to the life of the mind in the 20th century. Filtered through scores of later interpreters, it percolated across a broad segment of academic culture and influenced disciplines as diverse as literary criticism and legal theory. —Theo Anderson, Wilson Quarterly, Summer 2007
7. So the next fall I went to Hampshire College and began studying under Herbert Bernstein. Without him, I would never have become a scientist. He shamed me into doing the hard work necessary to be able not just to talk about math and physics but to calculate. Without that discipline, my story would have been very different … —Lee Smolin, Curious Minds, (2004) 2005
8. He stood erect, his bearing patrician, his dress impeccable. His face was stern and his pale eyes unsmiling behind his trifocals, like a man who had been called from important duties in the principal's office to administer discipline to an unruly classroom. —Nick Taylor, Laser, 2000

Origin of DISCIPLINE

Middle English, from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, from Latin disciplina teaching, learning, from discipulus pupil

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to DISCIPLINE

Synonyms: area, arena, bailiwick, barony, business, circle, demesne, department, field, domain, element, fief, fiefdom, firmament, front, game, kingdom, line, precinct, province, realm, specialty, sphere, terrain, walk

Antonyms: disinhibition, incontinence, unconstraint

Related Words: frontier; study, subject; territory, turf; occupation, profession, pursuit, racket, vocation; ambit, amplitude, breadth, compass, confine, dimension(s), extent, ken, reach, scope, sweep, width; subfield, subspecialty

Near Antonyms: amnesty, indemnity, pardon, parole; acquittal, exculpation, exoneration, vindication; exemption, immunity, impunity; release; commutation, reprieve; absolution, forgiveness, remission, remitment; condonation, disregard, overlooking

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Other Education Terms

baccalaureate, colloquium, corequisite, dissertation, monograph, pedant, practicum, survey course, thesis