Etymologically
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guideline

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 1 November 2026 at 01:33. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • US: /ˈɡaɪdˌlaɪn/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English guide + line,[2][3][4][5] from the noun guide and line in the sense of a cord or a mark.[2] Dictionary.com marks it as an Americanism.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A line drawn or marked as a guide, for instance in positioning a tool or making a drawing: 1785, in a letter by Andrew Ellicott.[2][6] Etymonline describes it as a line marked on a surface before cutting.[3]

Semantic evolution

In the 19th century the word was used for a rope trailed by a balloon to keep its height steady, from 1836 in the OED and 1846 in Etymonline.[2][3] Merriam-Webster records other literal uses: a cord to help a walker over a difficult place or to find the way back in a cave, and in printing a line of type placed above copy to guide the copyreader and printer.[4] The figurative sense, a rule or principle that guides policy or conduct, is recorded from 1917 in an Ohio newspaper,[2] by 1948 according to Etymonline,[3] and is now the main one, usually in the plural.[7][8][4]

Timeline

  • 1785 – a line marked as a guide for cutting or drawing.[2][3][6]
  • 1836 – a rope trailed by a balloon.[2] Etymonline dates this sense from 1846.[3]
  • 1917 – a rule or principle that guides policy or procedure.[2] Etymonline finds the figurative use by 1948.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A rule or principle that sets a standard or guides a course of action, often issued by an authority: new guidelines on food labelling.[7][8][4][2]
  2. A line drawn or marked as a guide, as in drawing, cutting or lettering.[2][1]
  3. A cord or rope that guides a person, as over a difficult part of a trail or through a cave.[4][6]
  4. A rope trailed by a balloon or small airship to help keep its height.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin