discipline

See also: discipliné

English

Etymology

From Middle English [Term?], from Anglo-Norman, from Old French descipline, from Latin disciplina (“instruction”), from discipulus (“pupil”), from discere (“to learn”), from Proto-Indo-European *dek- (“(cause to) accept”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (US, California)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈdɪ.sə.plɪn/

Noun

discipline (countable and uncountable, plural disciplines)

1. A controlled behaviour; self-control.
   • a. 1729, John Rogers, The Difficulties of Obtaining Salvation

     The most perfect, who have their passions in the best discipline, are yet obliged to be constantly on their guard.

   1. An enforced compliance or control.
      • 1956, Michael Arlen, “1/1/2”, in “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days‎^[1]:

        The masters looked unusually stern, but it was the sternness of thought rather than of discipline.

   2. A systematic method of obtaining obedience.
      • 1871, Charles John Smith, Synonyms Discriminated

        Discipline aims at the removal of bad habits and the substitution of good ones, especially those of order, regularity, and obedience.

      • 1973, Bible (New International Version), Hebrews 12:7:

        Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?

   3. A state of order based on submission to authority.
      • 1697, “The Second Book of the Georgics”, in Virgil; John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], OCLC 403869432:

        Their wildness lose, and, quitting nature's part, / Obey the rules and discipline of art.

   4. A set of rules regulating behaviour.
   5. A punishment to train or maintain control.
      • 1712 October 13 (Gregorian calendar)​, Joseph Addison; Richard Steele, “THURSDAY, October 2, 1712”, in The Spectator, number 499; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume V, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, OCLC 191120697:

        giving her the discipline of the strap

      1. (Catholicism) A whip used for self-flagellation.
      2. A flagellation as a means of obtaining sexual gratification.
2. A specific branch of knowledge or learning.
   • 2013 August 3, “Boundary problems”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:

     Economics is a messy discipline: too fluid to be a science, too rigorous to be an art.

   • 1648, John Wilkins, Mathematical Magick:

     This mathematical discipline, by the help of geometrical principles, doth teach to contrive several weights and powers unto motion or rest.

   1. A category in which a certain art, sport or other activity belongs.

Synonyms

• (branch or category): field, sphere
• (punishment): penalty, sanction

Antonyms

• (controlled behaviour et al.): spontaneity

Derived terms

• academic discipline

Related terms

• disciple
• disciplinal
• disciplinarian
• disciplinary
• discipliner
• interdisciplinary
• multidisciplinary

See also

• castigation
• stricture

Translations

controlled behaviour, self-control

• Arabic: اِنْضِبَاط‎ m (inḍibāṭ), تَهْذِيب‎ m (tahḏīb)
• Armenian: կարգապահություն (hy) (kargapahutʿyun)
• Azerbaijani: intizam (az)
• Bashkir: тәртип (tärtip)
• Basque: please add this translation if you can
• Belarusian: дысцыплі́на f (dyscyplína)
• Bulgarian: дисципли́на (bg) f (disciplína)
• Burmese: စည်းကမ်း (my) (cany:kam:)
• Catalan: disciplina (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 紀律 (zh), 纪律 (zh) (jìlǜ)

• Czech: kázeň (cs) f, disciplína (cs) f
• Danish: disciplin c
• Dutch: discipline (nl), (zelf)beheersing
• Esperanto: disĉiplo
• Finnish: kuri (fi), itsekuri (fi)
• French: discipline (fr) f
• Galician: disciplina (gl) f
• Georgian: დისციპლინა (disciṗlina)
• German: Disziplin (de) f
• Greek: πειθαρχία (el) f (peitharchía)
• Hebrew: משמעת‎ f (mishma'at)
• Hindi: अनुशासन (hi) m (anuśāsan)
• Hungarian: fegyelem (hu)
• Icelandic: agi m
• Indonesian: disiplin (id)
• Irish: smacht m, araíonacht f
• Italian: disciplina (it) f

• Japanese: 規律 (ja) (きりつ, kiritsu)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Korean: 규율 (ko) (gyuyul)
• Latin: disciplina f
• Latvian: disciplīna f
• Lithuanian: disciplina f
• Macedonian: дисциплина f (disciplina)
• Malayalam: അച്ചടക്കം (ml) (accaṭakkaṃ)
• Maori: whakaraupapa
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: disiplin (no) m

  Nynorsk: disiplin m

• Polish: dyscyplina (pl) f
• Portuguese: disciplina (pt) f
• Romanian: disciplină (ro) f
• Russian: дисципли́на (ru) f (disciplína), дисциплини́рованность (ru) f (disciplinírovannostʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: дисципли́на f

  Roman: disciplína (sh) f

• Slovak: disciplína f
• Slovene: disciplina f
• Spanish: disciplina (es) f
• Swedish: disciplin (sv) c
• Tagalog: takdang-aral, disiplina
• Thai: วินัย (th) (wí-nai)
• Turkish: disiplin (tr)
• Ukrainian: дисциплі́на f (dyscyplína)
• Vietnamese: kỉ luật (vi)

enforced compliance or control

• Arabic: تَرْتِيب‎ m (tartīb)
• Bashkir: тәртип (tärtip)
• Finnish: kuri (fi)
• Latvian: disciplīna f

• Malayalam: അച്ചടക്കം (ml) (accaṭakkaṃ)
• Portuguese: disciplina (pt) f
• Russian: поря́док (ru) m (porjádok)
• Thai: ระเบียบ (th) (rá-bìiap)

systematic method

• Bashkir: тәртип (tärtip)
• Finnish: kuri (fi), kurinpito (fi)
• Japanese: 鍛錬 (ja) (たんれん, tanren)

• Latvian: disciplīna f
• Portuguese: disciplina (pt) f

state of order

• Bashkir: тәртип (tärtip)
• Finnish: kuri (fi)
• Latvian: disciplīna f

• Malayalam: അച്ചടക്കം (ml) (accaṭakkaṃ)
• Portuguese: disciplina (pt) f
• Thai: ระเบียบ (th) (rá-bìiap)

punishment

• Arabic: تَهْذِيب‎ m (tahḏīb)
• Bulgarian: наказа́ние (bg) n (nakazánie)
• Dutch: discipline (nl), tuchtiging, tuchtstraf
• Finnish: kuritus (fi)
• French: discipline (fr) f, pénalité (fr) f
• Georgian: დასჯა (dasǯa)
• German: Strafe (de) f, Bestrafung (de) f

• Irish: araíonacht f
• Malayalam: അച്ചടക്കം (ml) (accaṭakkaṃ)
• Maori: whiunga
• Portuguese: castigo (pt) m
• Russian: наказа́ние (ru) n (nakazánije)
• Spanish: castigo (es) m
• Turkish: disiplin (tr), ceza (tr)

Catholicism: whip used for self-flagellation

• Finnish: piiska (fi)

set of rules

• Finnish: järjestyssäännöt

flagellation as a means of obtaining sexual gratification

• Finnish: piiskaus (fi)

specific branch or knowledge or learning

• Arabic: فَرْع مِنَ الْمَعْرِفَة‎ m (farʿ mina l-maʿrifa), مَادَّة‎ (ar) f (mādda)
• Armenian: գիտակարգ (hy) (gitakarg)
• Bashkir: фән (fän)
• Belarusian: дысцыплі́на f (dyscyplína), прадме́т (be) m (pradmjét)
• Bulgarian: дисциплина (bg) f (disciplina)
• Catalan: disciplina (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 學科 (zh), 学科 (zh) (xuékē)

• Czech: disciplína (cs) f
• Dutch: discipline (nl), branche (nl)
• Finnish: oppiaine (fi), aine (fi)
• French: discipline (fr) f, branche (fr) f
• German: Disziplin (de) f
• Greek: επιστημονικός κλάδος m (epistimonikós kládos)
• Hindi: विषय (hi) m (viṣay)
• Hungarian: tudományág (hu)

• Irish: disciplín m
• Japanese: 学科 (ja) (がっか, gakka)
• Korean: 학과 (ko) (hakgwa)
• Latin: disciplina f
• Latvian: disciplīna f
• Maori: akoranga
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: disiplin (no) m

  Nynorsk: disiplin m

• Persian: رشته‎ (fa)
• Portuguese: disciplina (pt) f
• Russian: дисципли́на (ru) f (disciplína), предме́т (ru) m (predmét)
• Spanish: ramo (es) m
• Thai: วิชา (th) (wí-chaa), สาขาวิชา
• Turkish: bilim dalı (tr)
• Ukrainian: дисциплі́на f (dyscyplína), предме́т (uk) m (predmét)

category in which a certain activity belongs

• Arabic: نِظَام‎ (ar) m (niẓām)
• Bulgarian: дисципли́на (bg) f (disciplína)
• Czech: disciplína (cs), obor (cs)
• Dutch: discipline (nl), branche (nl), tak (nl)
• Finnish: laji (fi), ala (fi) (generic); taidelaji (fi), taiteenala (art); urheilulaji (fi) (sport); tieteenala (fi) (science)
• French: discipline (fr), branche (fr)
• German: Disziplin (de) f
• Irish: disciplín m

• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: disiplin (no) m

  Nynorsk: disiplin m

• Portuguese: disciplina (pt) f, modalidade (pt) f
• Russian: дисципли́на (ru) f (disciplína)
• Spanish: disciplina (es) f
• Thai: สาขา (th) (sǎa-kǎa)
• Turkish: disiplin (tr)

Verb

discipline (third-person singular simple present disciplines, present participle disciplining, simple past and past participle disciplined)

1. (transitive) To train someone by instruction and practice.
2. (transitive) To teach someone to obey authority.
3. (transitive) To punish someone in order to (re)gain control.
4. (transitive) To impose order on someone.

Synonyms

• drill

Related terms

• disciplined
• disciplinable
• disciplinarian

Translations

to train someone by instruction and practice

• Belarusian: дысцыплінава́ць impf or pf (dyscyplinavácʹ)
• Bulgarian: възпитавам (bg) (vǎzpitavam)
• Catalan: disciplinar (ca)
• Dutch: drillen (nl)
• Finnish: pitää kuria
• Norwegian: disiplinere (no)

• Portuguese: disciplinar (pt)
• Russian: дисциплинировать (ru) (disciplinirovatʹ), тренировать (ru) (trenirovatʹ), упражнять (ru) (upražnjatʹ)
• Spanish: disciplinar (es)
• Swedish: disciplinera (sv), drilla
• Ukrainian: дисциплінува́ти impf or pf (dyscyplinuváty)

to teach someone to obey authority

• Bulgarian: дисциплинирам (bg) (discipliniram)
• Dutch: disciplineren (nl), temmen (nl)
• Finnish: kasvattaa kuriin

• German: disziplinieren (de)
• Portuguese: disciplinar (pt)

to punish someone in order to (re)gain control

• Dutch: disciplineren (nl), tuchtigen (nl)
• Finnish: kurittaa (fi)
• German: ^{(please verify)} disziplinieren (de), ^{(please verify)} disziplinarisch bestrafen

• Maori: whakawhiu
• Portuguese: disciplinar (pt)
• Russian: нака́зывать (ru) (nakázyvatʹ), подверга́ть взысканию (podvergátʹ vzyskaniju)

to impose order on someone

• Bulgarian: дисциплинирам (bg) (discipliniram)
• Dutch: disciplineren (nl), temmen (nl)
• Finnish: pakottaa kuriin

• German: disziplinieren (de)
• Maori: whakaraupapa

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Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch discipline, from Old French discipline, from Latin disciplīna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˌdi.siˈpli.nə/, /ˌdɪ.siˈpli.nə/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: dis‧ci‧pli‧ne
• Rhymes: -inə

Noun

discipline f (plural disciplines, diminutive disciplinetje n)

1. discipline, self-control

   Synonyms: zelfbeheersing, zelfcontrole

2. discipline, regime of forcing compliance
3. discipline, sanction

   Synonym: tucht

4. discipline, branch

   Synonym: tak

Derived terms

• disciplinair
• disciplineren
• kadaverdiscipline
• kerndiscipline
• onderzoeksdiscipline
• sportdiscipline

Related terms

• discipel
• ongedisciplineerd

Descendants

• Afrikaans: dissipline
• → Indonesian: disiplin

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di.si.plin/

• Audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin disciplīna.

Noun

discipline f (plural disciplines)

1. discipline, sanction
2. discipline, self-control
3. discipline, branch

Derived terms

• disciplinaire
• discipliner

Related terms

• disciple

Descendants

• → Turkish: disiplin

Etymology 2

Verb

discipline

1. inflection of discipliner:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

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

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Italian

Noun

discipline f pl

1. plural of disciplina

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Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˌdi.si.ˈpli.ni/

Verb

discipline

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of disciplinar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of disciplinar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of disciplinar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of disciplinar

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Spanish

Verb

discipline

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of disciplinar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of disciplinar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of disciplinar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of disciplinar.