# doctrine

Pronunciation: say "DOK-trin" US /ˈdɑk.tɹɪn/, UK /ˈdɒk.tɹɪn/

## Noun

1. The collected teachings of a religion, ideology, organization, leader, or text, taken as a whole.
   - Simple: The full set of beliefs and teachings of a religion, group, or leader.
   - _Catholic doctrine on the sacraments developed over many centuries._
   - _Marxist doctrine guided the movement's economic policies for decades._
2. A belief or principle, especially one concerning philosophical or theological matters.
   - Simple: One belief held to be true, especially about religion or the meaning of life.
   - _The doctrine of free will has been debated by philosophers for centuries._
   - _Several doctrines about the soul distinguish one tradition from another._
3. A policy a country adopts to govern part of its foreign relations, especially what behavior it will or will not accept from other nations.
   - Simple: A rule a country sets for itself about how it will deal with other countries.
   - _The president announced a doctrine committing the country to defend its allies._
   - _Several competing doctrines shaped the nation's response to the crisis._

## Origin

It came through Middle English and Old French from the Latin doctrina ('teaching, instruction, learning, knowledge'), which derives from doctor ('a teacher') and ultimately from docere ('to teach').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/doctrine (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).