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discipline

Definitions of Discipline

  1. (noun) A branch of instruction, knowledge, learning, or teaching.
  2. (noun) Punishment meant to correct behavior.

Discipline Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: dis·ci·pline

Audio Pronunciation

– American English
– British English

Phonetic Spelling

  • American English – /dIs-uh-pluhn/
  • British English – /dIs-i-plin/

International Phonetic Alphabet

  • American English – /ˈdɪsəplən/
  • British English – /ˈdɪsᵻplᵻn/

Usage Notes

  • Plural: disciplines
  • The distinction between “discipline” and “field” or “field of study” is not always clear and the terms are often used interchangeably. This dictionary uses discipline to describe large areas of knowledge such as anthropology, sociology, or psychology and “field” to describe a particular area of interest within a discipline.

Additional Information

Works Consulted

The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 5th ed. 2011. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Macmillan. (N.d.) Macmillan Dictionary. (https://www.macmillandictionary.com/).

Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Princeton University. 2010. WordNet. (https://wordnet.princeton.edu/).

Random House Webster’s College Dictionary. 1997. New York: Random House.

Ravelli, Bruce, and Michelle Webber. 2016. Exploring Sociology: A Canadian Perspective. 3rd ed. Toronto: Pearson.

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).

Cite the Definition of Discipline

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. “discipline.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 26, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/discipline/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

discipline. (2015). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/discipline/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2015. “discipline.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/discipline/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“discipline.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/discipline/>.