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rubric

 - 4 dictionary results

ru⋅bric

[roo-brik]
–noun
1. a title, heading, direction, or the like, in a manuscript, book, statute, etc., written or printed in red or otherwise distinguished from the rest of the text.
2. a direction for the conduct of divine service or the administration of the sacraments, inserted in liturgical books.
3. any established mode of conduct or procedure; protocol.
4. an explanatory comment; gloss.
5. a class or category
6. Archaic. red ocher.
–adjective
7. written, inscribed in, or marked with or as with red; rubrical.
8. Archaic. red; ruddy.

Origin:
1325–75; < L rūbrīca red ocher (deriv. of ruber red ); r. ME rubriche, rubrike (n.) < OF
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ru·bric   (rōō'brĭk)   
n.  
    1. A class or category: "This mission is sometimes discussed under the rubric of 'horizontal escalation' . . . from conventional to nuclear war" (Jack Beatty).

    2. A title; a name.

  1. A part of a manuscript or book, such as a title, heading, or initial letter, that appears in decorative red lettering or is otherwise distinguished from the rest of the text.

  2. A title or heading of a statute or chapter in a code of law.

  3. Ecclesiastical A direction in a missal, hymnal, or other liturgical book.

  4. An authoritative rule or direction.

  5. A short commentary or explanation covering a broad subject.

  6. Red ocher.

adj.  
  1. Red or reddish.

  2. Written in red.


[Middle English rubrike, heading, title, from Old French rubrique, from Latin rubrīca, red chalk , from ruber, rubr-, red; see reudh- in Indo-European roots.]
ru'bri·cal adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

rubric 
c.1375, "directions in religious services" (often in red writing), from O.Fr. rubrique, from L. rubrica "red ochre, red coloring matter," from ruber, from PIE base *rudhro- (see red).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: ru·bric
Pronunciation: 'rü-brik
Function: noun
: an established rule, tradition, or custom
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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