Rule

Rule (pronounced rool)

(1) A principle or regulation governing conduct, action, procedure, arrangement etc.

(2) In Christianity, the code of regulations observed by a religious order or congregation.

(3) Control, government, or dominion; tenure or conduct of reign or office; to control or direct; exercise dominating power, authority, or influence over; govern.

(4) A prescribed mathematical method for performing a calculation or solving a problem.

(5) In astronomy, the constellation Norma (initial capital letter).

(6) In printing, a thin, type-high strip of metal, for printing a solid or decorative line or lines.

(7) In law, a formal order or direction made by a court, as for governing the procedure of the court (general rule) or for sending the case before a referee (special rule); a legal principle; a court order in a particular case.

(8) In penology, formerly a fixed area in the neighborhood of certain prisons within which certain prisoners were allowed to live; the freedom of such an area.

(9) An alternative name for behavior (obsolete).

(10) To mark with lines, especially parallel straight lines, with the aid of a ruler or the like; to mark out or form (a line) by this method; any of various devices with a straight edge for guiding or measuring.

(11) To be superior or preeminent in (a specific field or group); dominate by superiority; hold sway over.

(12) In linguistics, a formal expression of a grammatical regularity in a linguistic description of a language.

(13) In astrology (of a planet), to have a strong affinity with certain human attributes, activities etc, associated with one or sometimes two signs of the zodiac.

(14) A generalized statement that describes what is true in most or all cases; a standard; The customary or normal circumstance, occurrence, manner, practice, quality etc.

1175–1225: From the Middle English riule & reule from the Old French riule from the Latin rēgula (straight stick, pattern).  The verb was first noted circa 1200 from the Middle English riwlen, reulen & rewellen, from the Old French riuler, rieuler & ruler from the Late Latin rēgulāre (derivative of rēgula).  The sense of "principle or maxim governing conduct, formula to which conduct must be conformed" is from the Old French riule & the Norman reule (rule, custom, (religious) order) which, in Modern French, has been partially re-Latinized as règle.  The Vulgar Latin regula was derived from the Classical Latin regula (straight stick, bar, ruler), figuratively "a pattern, a model" related to regere (to rule, straighten, guide).  The Middle English form displaced the Old English wealdan.

The familiar meaning "strip used for making straight lines or measuring" (ie a ruler) has existed since the fourteenth century and the specific application to typography is attested from 1680s.  The meaning "regulation governing play of a game” is from 1690s. The notion of a rule of law (supremacy of impartial and well-defined laws to any individual's power), as a phrase, emerged surprisingly recently, dating only from 1883.  The sense "to control, guide, direct" came from the Old French riuler (impose rule) from the Latin regulare (to control by rule, direct) from the Latin regula (rule, straight piece of wood) from the primitive Indo-European root reg- (move in a straight line) with derivatives meaning "to direct in a straight line," thus "to lead, rule."  The legal sense "establish by decision" is recorded from the early fifteenth century.  The meaning "mark with lines" is from 1590s; the sense of "to dominate, prevail" is from 1874.

The Chatham House Rule

Often erroneously referred to in the plural, the Chatham House Rule states:

When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.

The rule was created with the aim of encouraging openness of discussion and facilitating the sharing of information, used now by many organizations around the world as an aid to free discussion of sensitive issues.  It provides a way for speakers openly to discuss their views in private while allowing the topic and nature of the debate to be made public and contribute to a broader conversation.

Chatham House, 10 St James's Square, London, SW1.

The Royal Institute of International Affairs, known universally as Chatham House, was formed in London in 1920 at the same time as the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, both organizations created in reaction to the failings in international relations which led to the First World War.  The popular name is derived from the Royal Institute’s headquarters since 1923, Chatham House, previously home to three prime ministers including William Pitt (1st Earl of Chatham, 1708–1778; prime-minister 1766-1788 and now usually referred to as Chatham or Pitt the Elder to distinguish him from his son William (Pitt the Younger, 1759-1806, also a prime-minister).

Lindsay Lohan in Georgia Rule (2007).