discipline means A controlled behaviour; self-control. It carries an Arena rating of 1608, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, discipline ranks #25 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #2,535 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #3,807 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #5,614 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
discipline is pronounced /ˈdɪsɪplɪn/.
Why “discipline” is a great word
The systematic practice of training oneself or others to follow a code of behavior, often through instruction and the cultivation of self-control. From Middle English, via Anglo-Norman and Old French *descipline*, from Latin *disciplina* ("instruction, teaching, learning"), ultimately from *discipulus* ("pupil"). Unlike "punishment," which is a penalty for transgression, or "drill," which is mere repetitive exercise, discipline is the quiet, daily architecture of becoming. It is the pianist's fingers finding the correct shape at four in the morning, the runner's breath steady through the final mile, and the scholar returning to the same sentence until it yields its meaning—the quiet recognition that freedom is not the absence of constraint but the mastery of it.
Etymology
From Middle English [Term?], from Anglo-Norman, from Old French descipline, from Latin disciplina (“instruction”), from discipulus (“pupil”), influenced by disco (“to learn”), from Proto-Indo-European *dek- (“(cause to) accept”).
noun
- A controlled behaviour; self-control.e.g.“The most perfect, who have their passions in the best discipline, are yet obliged to be constantly on their guard.” — a. 1729, John Rogers, The Difficulties of Obtaining Salvation:
- A controlled behaviour; self-control.; An enforced compliance or control.e.g.“The masters looked unusually stern, but it was the sternness of thought rather than of discipline.” — 1956, Michael Arlen, “1/1/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days:
- A controlled behaviour; self-control.; A systematic method of obtaining obedience.e.g.“Discipline aims at the removal of bad habits and the substitution of good ones, especially those of order, regularity, and obedience.” — 1871, Charles John Smith, Synonyms Discriminated:
- A controlled behaviour; self-control.; A state of order based on submission to authority.e.g.“Their wildness lose, and, quitting nature's part, / Obey the rules and discipline of art.” — 1697, Virgil, “The Second Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
- A controlled behaviour; self-control.; A set of rules regulating behaviour.
- A controlled behaviour; self-control.; A punishment to train or maintain control.e.g.“giving her the discipline of the strap” — 1712 October 12 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “WEDNESDAY, October 2, 1712”, in The Spectator, number 499; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a N
- A controlled behaviour; self-control.; A punishment to train or maintain control.; A whip used for self-flagellation.
- A controlled behaviour; self-control.; A punishment to train or maintain control.; A flagellation as a means of obtaining sexual gratification.
- A specific branch of knowledge, learning, or practice.e.g.“Near-synonyms: specialty, speciality, specialism”
- A specific branch of knowledge, learning, or practice.; A category in which a certain art, sport or other activity belongs.
verb
- To train someone by instruction and practice.
- To teach someone to obey authority.
- To punish someone in order to (re)gain control.
- To impose order on someone.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.