discipline

1 of 2

noun

dis·​ci·​pline ˈdi-sə-plən How to pronounce discipline (audio)
1
a
: control gained by enforcing obedience or order
b
: orderly or prescribed conduct or pattern of behavior
2
3
: training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character
4
: a field of study
5
: a rule or system of rules governing conduct or activity
6
obsolete : instruction
disciplinal adjective

discipline

2 of 2

verb

disciplined; disciplining

transitive verb

1
: to punish or penalize for the sake of enforcing obedience and perfecting moral character
2
: to train or develop by instruction and exercise especially in self-control
3
a
: to bring (a group) under control
discipline troops
b
: to impose order upon
serious writers discipline and refine their writing styles
discipliner noun

Did you know?

The Root and Meanings of Discipline

Discipline comes from discipulus, the Latin word for pupil, which also provided the source of the word disciple (albeit by way of a Late Latin sense-shift to “a follower of Jesus Christ in his lifetime”). Given that several meanings of discipline deal with study, governing one’s behavior, and instruction, one might assume that the word’s first meaning in English had to do with education. In fact, the earliest known use of discipline appears to be punishment-related; it first was used in the 13th century to refer to chastisement of a religious nature, such as self-flagellation.

Choose the Right Synonym for discipline

punish, chastise, castigate, chasten, discipline, correct mean to inflict a penalty on in requital for wrongdoing.

punish implies subjecting to a penalty for wrongdoing.

punished for stealing

chastise may apply to either the infliction of corporal punishment or to verbal censure or denunciation.

chastised his son for neglecting his studies

castigate usually implies a severe, typically public censure.

an editorial castigating the entire city council

chasten suggests any affliction or trial that leaves one humbled or subdued.

chastened by a landslide election defeat

discipline implies a punishing or chastening in order to bring under control.

parents must discipline their children

correct implies punishing aimed at reforming an offender.

the function of prison is to correct the wrongdoer

teach, instruct, educate, train, discipline, school mean to cause to acquire knowledge or skill.

teach applies to any manner of imparting information or skill so that others may learn.

taught us a lot about our planet

instruct suggests methodical or formal teaching.

instructs raw recruits in military drill

educate implies development of the mind.

more things than formal schooling serve to educate a person

train stresses instruction and drill with a specific end in view.

trained foreign pilots to operate the new aircraft

discipline implies training in habits of order and precision.

a disciplined mind

school implies training or disciplining especially in what is hard to master.

schooled the horse in five gaits

Examples of discipline in a Sentence

Noun 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
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
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
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
The teacher has a hard time maintaining discipline in the classroom. The troops were praised for their dedication and discipline. Some parents feel that the school's principal has been too harsh in meting out discipline. Keeping a journal is a good discipline for a writer. Verb The Army disciplined seven men for the incident, penalties ranging from pay-cuts and loss of rank to dismissal from the Rangers and return to the rank-and-file Army. Gary Smith, Sports Illustrated, 11 Sept. 2006
Volunteers have to undergo a program to discipline the mind and cleanse the soul. Aparism Ghosh, Time, 4 July 2005
The teacher then took me to the principal's office. There, the principal attempted to discipline me with an old Catholic school technique called "paddling" … Lalo Gomez, Undoing Time, 2001
She was disciplined for misbehaving in class. He seems unwilling or unable to discipline his children. I'm trying to discipline myself to eat less.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Attorneys petitioning for disciplinary revocation usually plan on leaving the profession anyway or expect to be disbarred, so just want to save the time and expense of going through the discipline case. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024 The school/district fully supports teacher discipline recommendations. Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 What’s happening in costume and makeup is not what’s happening in some of our other disciplines. Nicole Sperling Ella Koeze, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 Suddenly seeing their discipline labeled as a sport isn’t something that necessarily sits comfortably with b-boys and b-girls – the name given to men and women who compete in breaking. George Ramsay, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 His unorthodox journey to get there was inevitably met with criticism from certain quarters, but Eshun, for one, doesn’t consider journalism and curation all that far removed from one another as disciplines. Funmi Fetto, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024 Senior Chloe Lee and junior Rylee Stanton were recognized in the classical music and film disciplines, respectively, according to a press release from the district. Isha Trivedi, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024 The Colton Joint Unified School District told The Times in an email that Strauss-Gordon is currently suspended without pay pending the outcome of her discipline case. Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Just as human collaboration across functions and disciplines is essential to digital success, so too is collaboration with generative AI essential. Mark A. Cohen, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
Instead, it was charged with recommending programs and support systems for students disciplined for substance use and establishing presentation and education programs. The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024 Play faster, be disciplined with your running habits. Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Defensively, he’s been so disciplined and detailed whether in the man or zone. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 The team had no power to discipline students accused of bias or even to require them to discuss an incident with school officials. Rachel Weiner, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024 For instance, there was the California psychiatrist disciplined for alcohol abuse, convicted of driving under the influence and accused of billing Medicare at the highest possible rate for 97% of office visits. Michael L. Millenson, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Remember, your goal is not just to discipline but to foster a healthy work environment. Johnny C. Taylor Jr., USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024 The consolidation seen in 2023 has been disciplined. Andrea Guerzoni, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024 Police records reviewed by The Star cited one case in which an officer was disciplined. Bill Lukitsch, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discipline.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "chastisement, system of ordered conduct, instruction, branch of learning," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin disciplīna "teaching, instruction, branch of study, orderly conduct based on moral training" (Medieval Latin, "chastisement, scourging"), from discipulus "pupil, learner" + -īna, suffix denoting a place or practice (from noun derivative of feminine of -īnus -ine entry 1) — more at disciple

Verb

Middle English disciplinen "to subject to chastisement, educate," borrowed from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French discipliner, borrowed from Late Latin disciplīnāre "to teach" (Medieval Latin, "to punish, scourge"), derivative of Latin disciplīna "teaching, discipline entry 1"

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of discipline was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near discipline

Cite this Entry

“Discipline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discipline. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

discipline

1 of 2 noun
dis·​ci·​pline ˈdis-ə-plən How to pronounce discipline (audio)
1
: a field of study : subject
2
: strict training that corrects or strengthens mental ability or moral character
3
4
: control gained by enforcing obedience or order
trying to maintain discipline
5
: a system of rules governing conduct

discipline

2 of 2 verb
disciplined; disciplining
1
: to punish or penalize for the sake of discipline
2
: to train or develop by instruction and exercise especially in self-control
3
: to bring under control
discipline troops
discipliner noun

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