doctrine definition

English doctrine definition

Etymology

From Middle English, from Old French, from Latin doctrina (“teaching, instruction, learning, knowledge”), from doctor (“a teacher”), from docere (“to teach”); see doctor.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈdɔk.tɹɪn/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdɒk.tɹɪn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔktɹɪn, -ɒktɹɪn
• Hyphenation: doc‧trine

Noun

doctrine (countable and uncountable, plural doctrines)

1. (countable) A belief or tenet, especially about philosophical or theological matters.

   The incarnation is a basic doctrine of classical Christianity.

   The four noble truths summarise the main doctrines of Buddhism.

2. (countable and uncountable) The body of teachings of an ideology, most often a religion, or of an ideological or religious leader, organization, group, or text.

   What is the understanding of marriage and family in orthodox Marxist doctrine?

   • 1560, John Knox, An Answere to a Great Number of Blasphemous Cavillations Written by an Anabaptist, and aduersarie to Gods eternall Predestination, London: Thomas Charde, published 1591, page 95:

     This one thing do we (compelled by your blaſphemous accuſations) repeat oftener then we would: to the end that indifferent men may ſee what doctrine it is, which you ſo maliciouſly impugne.

3. (countable) A self-imposed policy governing some aspect of a country's foreign relations, especially regarding what sort of behavior it will or will not tolerate from other countries.

   the Monroe Doctrine... the Brezhnev Doctrine... the Negroponte Doctrine...

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• doctrine in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• doctrine in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911

Anagrams

• Crediton, centroid, on credit

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Dutch doctrine definition

Etymology

From Middle Dutch doctrine, from Middle French doctrine, from Latin doctrīna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌdɔkˈtri.nə/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: doc‧tri‧ne
• Rhymes: -inə

Noun

doctrine f (plural doctrines, diminutive doctrinetje n)

1. doctrine

   De doctrine stelt duidelijk dat...

   The doctrine clearly states that...

   Synonyms: leer, leerstuk

Derived terms

• doctrinair
• indoctrineren

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French doctrine definition

Etymology

From Latin doctrina, diminutive from doctus, taught, perfect passive participle of docere, teach.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɔk.tʁin/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

doctrine f (plural doctrines)

1. doctrine

Further reading

• “doctrine”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Spanish doctrine definition

Verb

doctrine

1. inflection of doctrinar:
   1. first-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular present subjunctive
   3. third-person singular imperative