disciplines

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of discipline.

   Universities organize their research around dozens of academic disciplines.

   Several martial arts disciplines emphasize balance and controlled breathing.

   Note

   The plural only works where discipline can be counted. Self-control in general stays uncountable: you show discipline, not disciplines. Sets of rules, methods of training and individual punishments can be counted, and so can be plural. The same spelling also serves the present-tense verb, and context tells them apart. A determiner before the word marks the noun, as in these disciplines. A subject before it marks the verb, as in she disciplines.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of discipline.

   A good teacher disciplines a student without resorting to humiliation.

   The army disciplines new recruits through long hours of repetitive drill.

   Note

   Every verb meaning behind this form is transitive, so it always needs an object: a coach disciplines a team, or a runner disciplines herself, but nobody simply disciplines. The range runs from patient instruction to outright punishment. The surrounding words decide whether the verb sounds like training or like correction.

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