The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Rule \Rule\, n. [OE. reule, riule, OF. riule, reule, F.
   r['e]gle, fr. L. regula a ruler, rule, model, fr. regere,
   rectum, to lead straight, to direct. See Right, a., and cf.
   Regular.]
   1. That which is prescribed or laid down as a guide for
      conduct or action; a governing direction for a specific
      purpose; an authoritative enactment; a regulation; a
      prescription; a precept; as, the rules of various
      societies; the rules governing a school; a rule of
      etiquette or propriety; the rules of cricket.
      [1913 Webster]

            We profess to have embraced a religion which
            contains the most exact rules for the government of
            our lives.                            --Tillotson.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Hence:
      (a) Uniform or established course of things.
          [1913 Webster]

                'T is against the rule of nature. --Shak.
          [1913 Webster]
      (b) Systematic method or practice; as, my ule is to rise
          at six o'clock.
      (c) Ordibary course of procedure; usual way; comon state
          or condition of things; as, it is a rule to which
          there are many exeptions.
      (d) Conduct in general; behavior. [Obs.]
          [1913 Webster]

                This uncivil rule; she shall know of it. --Shak.
          [1913 Webster]

   3. The act of ruling; administration of law; government;
      empire; authority; control.
      [1913 Webster]

            Obey them that have the rule over you. --Heb. xiii.
                                                  17.
      [1913 Webster]

            His stern rule the groaning land obeyed. --Pope.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. (Law) An order regulating the practice of the courts, or
      an order made between parties to an action or a suit.
      --Wharton.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. (Math.) A determinate method prescribed for performing any
      operation and producing a certain result; as, a rule for
      extracting the cube root.
      [1913 Webster]

   6. (Gram.) A general principle concerning the formation or
      use of words, or a concise statement thereof; thus, it is
      a rule in England, that s or es, added to a noun in the
      singular number, forms the plural of that noun; but "man"
      forms its plural "men", and is an exception to the rule.
      [1913 Webster]

   7.
      (a) A straight strip of wood, metal, or the like, which
          serves as a guide in drawing a straight line; a ruler.
      (b) A measuring instrument consisting of a graduated bar
          of wood, ivory, metal, or the like, which is usually
          marked so as to show inches and fractions of an inch,
          and jointed so that it may be folded compactly.
          [1913 Webster]

                A judicious artist will use his eye, but he will
                trust only to his rule.           --South.
          [1913 Webster]

   8. (Print.)
      (a) A thin plate of metal (usually brass) of the same
          height as the type, and used for printing lines, as
          between columns on the same page, or in tabular work.
      (b) A composing rule. See under Conposing.
          [1913 Webster]

   As a rule, as a general thing; in the main; usually; as, he
      behaves well, as a rule.

   Board rule, Caliber rule, etc. See under Board,
      Caliber, etc.

   Rule joint, a knuckle joint having shoulders that abut when
      the connected pieces come in line with each other, and
      thus permit folding in one direction only.

   Rule of the road (Law), any of the various regulations
      imposed upon travelers by land or water for their mutual
      convenience or safety. In the United States it is a rule
      of the road that land travelers passing in opposite
      directions shall turn out each to his own right, and
      generally that overtaking persons or vehicles shall turn
      out to the left; in England the rule for vehicles (but not
      for pedestrians) is the opposite of this.

   Rule of three (Arith.), that rule which directs, when three
      terms are given, how to find a fourth, which shall have
      the same ratio to the third term as the second has to the
      first; proportion. See Proportion, 5
      (b) .

   Rule of thumb, any rude process or operation, like that of
      using the thumb as a rule in measuring; hence, judgment
      and practical experience as distinguished from scientific
      knowledge.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Rule \Rule\, n.
   [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

   Syn: regulation; law; precept; maxim; guide; canon; order;
        method; direction; control; government; sway; empire.
        [1913 Webster] Rule \Rule\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ruled;
   p. pr. & vb. n. Ruling.] [Cf. OF. riuler, ruiler, L.
   regulare. See Rule, n., and cf. Regulate.]
   1. To control the will and actions of; to exercise authority
      or dominion over; to govern; to manage. --Chaucer.
      [1913 Webster]

            A bishop then must be blameless; . . . one that
            ruleth well his own house, having his children in
            subjection.                           --1 Tim. iii.
                                                  2, 4.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To control or direct by influence, counsel, or persuasion;
      to guide; -- used chiefly in the passive.
      [1913 Webster]

            I think she will be ruled
            In all respects by me.                --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To establish or settle by, or as by, a rule; to fix by
      universal or general consent, or by common practice.
      [1913 Webster]

            That's are ruled case with the schoolmen.
                                                  --Atterbury.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. (Law) To require or command by rule; to give as a
      direction or order of court.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. To mark with lines made with a pen, pencil, etc., guided
      by a rule or ruler; to print or mark with lines by means
      of a rule or other contrivance effecting a similar result;
      as, to rule a sheet of paper of a blank book.
      [1913 Webster]

   Ruled surface (Geom.), any surface that may be described by
      a straight line moving according to a given law; -- called
      also a scroll.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Rule \Rule\, v. i.
   1. To have power or command; to exercise supreme authority;
      -- often followed by over.
      [1913 Webster]

            By me princes rule, and nobles.       --Prov. viii.
                                                  16.
      [1913 Webster]

            We subdue and rule over all other creatures. --Ray.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. (Law) To lay down and settle a rule or order of court; to
      decide an incidental point; to enter a rule. --Burril.
      Bouvier.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. (Com.) To keep within a (certain) range for a time; to be
      in general, or as a rule; as, prices ruled lower yesterday
      than the day before.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

rule
    n 1: a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior;
         "it was his rule to take a walk before breakfast"; "short
         haircuts were the regulation" [syn: rule, regulation]
    2: something regarded as a normative example; "the convention of
       not naming the main character"; "violence is the rule not the
       exception"; "his formula for impressing visitors" [syn:
       convention, normal, pattern, rule, formula]
    3: prescribed guide for conduct or action [syn: rule,
       prescript]
    4: (linguistics) a rule describing (or prescribing) a linguistic
       practice [syn: rule, linguistic rule]
    5: a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can
       be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct; "their
       principles of composition characterized all their works"
       [syn: principle, rule]
    6: the duration of a monarch's or government's power; "during
       the rule of Elizabeth"
    7: dominance or power through legal authority; "France held
       undisputed dominion over vast areas of Africa"; "the rule of
       Caesar" [syn: dominion, rule]
    8: directions that define the way a game or sport is to be
       conducted; "he knew the rules of chess"
    9: any one of a systematic body of regulations defining the way
       of life of members of a religious order; "the rule of St.
       Dominic"
    10: a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the
        function of a complex system; "the principle of the
        conservation of mass"; "the principle of jet propulsion";
        "the right-hand rule for inductive fields" [syn:
        principle, rule]
    11: (mathematics) a standard procedure for solving a class of
        mathematical problems; "he determined the upper bound with
        Descartes' rule of signs"; "he gave us a general formula for
        attacking polynomials" [syn: rule, formula]
    12: measuring stick consisting of a strip of wood or metal or
        plastic with a straight edge that is used for drawing
        straight lines and measuring lengths [syn: rule, ruler]
    v 1: exercise authority over; as of nations; "Who is governing
         the country now?" [syn: govern, rule]
    2: decide with authority; "The King decreed that all firstborn
       males should be killed" [syn: rule, decree]
    3: be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance;
       "Money reigns supreme here"; "Hispanics predominate in this
       neighborhood" [syn: predominate, dominate, rule,
       reign, prevail]
    4: decide on and make a declaration about; "find someone guilty"
       [syn: rule, find]
    5: have an affinity with; of signs of the zodiac
    6: mark or draw with a ruler; "rule the margins"
    7: keep in check; "rule one's temper" [syn: rule, harness,
       rein]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

418 Moby Thesaurus words for "rule":
   Aristotelian sorites, Goclenian sorites, Procrustean law, SOP,
   T square, a priori truth, acme, act, act on, administration,
   antetype, antitype, apothegm, appointment, apriorism, archetype,
   as a rule, ascendancy, assize, authority, authorization, average,
   axiom, balance, ban, bar, barometer, be in, be in force,
   be the rage, be the rule, be the thing, be-all and end-all,
   bear reign, bid, bill, biotype, blue ribbon, brevet, brocard, bull,
   bylaw, bypass, call on, call the shots, call the signals,
   call upon, canon, carry authority, categorical syllogism, center,
   championship, charge, charisma, charm, check, chiefly,
   civil government, classic example, claws, clout, clutches, code,
   command, commandment, commission, common practice, commonly,
   conclude, condemn, consequence, control, convention,
   crack the whip, credit, criterion, customarily, customs, decide,
   declaration, declare, decorum, decree, decree-law, decreement,
   decretal, decretum, deduce, deem, degree, determine, dictate,
   dictation, dictum, diktat, dilemma, direct, direction, directive,
   directorship, discipline, dismiss, dispensation, dispose,
   disposition, disregard, dominance, dominate, domination, domineer,
   dominion, doom, drill, edict, edictum, effect, effectiveness,
   eliminate, eminence, empery, empire, enactment, enchantment,
   enjoin, enthymeme, epitome, esteem, etiquette, exclude, fact,
   favor, fiat, figure, find, find against, find for, first place,
   first prize, forbid, force, form, form of government, formality,
   formula, formulary, fugleman, fugler, fundamental, gather, gauge,
   general orders, general principle, generality, generally, genotype,
   give an order, give the word, gnome, golden mean, golden rule,
   good feeling, govern, governance, government, graduated scale,
   grip, guide, guideline, guiding principle, hand, hands,
   happy medium, have clout, have power, have the power,
   have the right, have the say, head up, headship, hegemony, height,
   highest, hold, ignore, imitatee, imperative, imperium, importance,
   in the main, incidental power, infer, influence, influentiality,
   insinuation, institution, instruct, instruction, ipse dixit,
   iron hand, issue a command, issue a writ, judge, jurisdiction, jus,
   juste-milieu, kingship, law, law of nature, lay off, lay out, lead,
   leadership, legislation, leverage, lex, lordship, magnetism,
   mainly, manage, management, mandate, mark off, mark out,
   mastership, mastery, matter of course, maxim, maximum, mean,
   measure, measure off, measure out, median, mediocrity, medium,
   middle, middle course, middle ground, middle point,
   middle position, middle state, middle-of-the-road, midpoint,
   mirror, mitzvah, mode, model, modus tollens, moment, mood, moral,
   most, mostly, ne plus ultra, negate, new high, norm, norma, normal,
   normally, obtain, on the whole, ordain, order, order about,
   order of nature, ordinance, ordinarily, ordonnance, original,
   overlook, overrule, oversee, oversight, pace off, palms, par,
   paradigm, paralogism, parameter, paramountcy, pass judgment,
   pass sentence, pattern, personality, persuasion, policy,
   political organization, polity, possess authority, postulate,
   potency, power, practice, precedent, precept, preclude,
   predominance, predominate, preponderance, preponderate,
   prescribed form, prescript, prescription, preside, preside over,
   presidency, pressure, prestige, prevail, primacy, principium,
   principle, procedure, proclaim, proclamation, prohibit, promulgate,
   pronounce, pronounce judgment, pronounce on, pronouncement,
   pronunciamento, proposition, propriety, proscribe, prosyllogism,
   prototype, pseudosyllogism, purchase, quantity, raj, reading,
   readout, record, regime, regimen, regnancy, regulate, regulation,
   reign, report, representative, repute, rescript, resolve,
   return a verdict, routine, rubric, rule of deduction, rule off,
   rule out, rule over, ruler, ruling, run, say, say the word, scale,
   self-evident truth, senatus consult, senatus consultum, sentence,
   set form, set off, settle, settled principle, sorites, sovereignty,
   square, standard, standard operating procedure, standing order,
   standing orders, statute, step off, straightedge, suasion,
   subtle influence, suggestion, superintend, supervise, supervision,
   supremacy, sway, syllogism, system of government, talons, tenet,
   test, theorem, top spot, touchstone, triangle, truism, truth, type,
   type species, type specimen, ukase, universal law, universal truth,
   upper hand, urtext, usually, utter a judgment, value, via media,
   wear the crown, wear the pants, weight, whip hand, wield authority,
   wield the scepter, working principle, working rule, yardstick,
   zenith



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

RULE, TERM, English practice. A term rule is in the nature of a day rule, by
which a prisoner is enabled by the terms of one rule, instead of a daily
rule, to quit the prison or its rules for the purpose of transacting his
business. lt is obtained in the same manner as a day rule. See Rules.



Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856):

RULE. This is a metaphorical expression borrowed from mechanics. The rule,
in its proper and natural sense, is an instrument by means of which may be
drawn from one point to another, the shortest possible line, which is called
a straight line.
     2. The rule is a means of comparison in the arts to judge whether the
line be straight, as it serves in jurisprudence, to judge whether an action
be just or unjust, it is just or right, when it agrees with the rule, which
is the law. It is unjust and wrong, when it deviates from it. lt is the same
with our will or our intention.



U.S. Gazetteer Places (2000):

Rule, TX -- U.S. town in Texas
   Population (2000):    698
   Housing Units (2000): 386
   Land area (2000):     0.695637 sq. miles (1.801692 sq. km)
   Water area (2000):    0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km)
   Total area (2000):    0.695637 sq. miles (1.801692 sq. km)
   FIPS code:            63752
   Located within:       Texas (TX), FIPS 48
   Location:             33.183118 N, 99.893300 W
   ZIP Codes (1990):     79547
   Note: some ZIP codes may be omitted esp. for suburbs.
   Headwords:
    Rule, TX
    Rule