ruledadj.n.
/ruːld/, U.S. /ruld/ A. adj.
I. Senses relating to governing, order, or regularity.† 2. Of a polygon: = regular adj. 2b. Obsolete.
1. Ordered, disciplined. Cf. well-ruled adj. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > obedience > [adjective] > disciplined or trained
disciplinedc1384
ruleda1398
well-disciplineda1533
disciplinated1590
seasoneda1643
well-drilled1756
tight1968
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 147v The crane..lyueþ in companye and haþ a kyng and fleeþ in ordre I-rewled [L. ordine litterato volans].
?1406 T. Hoccleve La Mâle Règle l. 70 in E. P. Hammond Eng. Verse between Chaucer & Surrey (1927) 61/2 O yowthe, allas, why wilt thow nat enclyne And vn to reuled resoun bowe thee.
c1450 (c1386) G. Chaucer Legend Good Women (Fairf. 16) (1879) Prol. l. 163 Pitee, thurgh his stronge gentil myght For-gaf, and mad mercy passen ryght Thurgh Innocence and ruled curtesye.
1556 J. Heywood Spider & Flie xcii. 115 Let rewld lords rewle rewlesse losels, when they crake.
1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 263 Is there any thing of more force, to teach man ciuill manners, & a ruled life, or to reforme the vice in man?
1614 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Little Bartas in tr. J. Bertaut Parl. Vertues Royal 238 A ruled sober life, and sage, Preserues his Health, and may prolong his Age.
1862 Atlantic Monthly Sept. 263/2 His ruled heart leaped with a savage, healthy throb of jealousy.
1985 A. H. Khan Salighed as Happiness? iv. 53 A passional life is a ruled life, one governed by certain rules.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > conformity to or with a pattern, etc. > [adjective] > conforming to a standard rule
rightOE
justc1384
verya1425
orderly1542
ruled1551
normatic1598
formal1635
solemn1639
regular1643
mathematical1776
reglementary1800
rule-right1877
1551 R. Record Pathway to Knowl. i. sig. B.iiv Cinkangles, whose sydes partlye are all equall.., and those are counted ruled cinkeangles, and partlye unequall.., and they are called unruled.
3. Of a ruling, decision, principle, etc.: judicially or authoritatively determined; proven, confirmed; decided, decreed. Cf. ruled case n. at Compounds.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > judging > [adjective] > judged or judicially determined
judged1479
practicate1561
ruled1585
1585 R. Parsons Christian Directorie i. ii. ii. 40 This argument the Metaphisique confirmeth by a ruled principle in his science.
1615 H. Crooke Μικροκοσμογραϕια x. xxxiv. 797 It is a ruled Axiom that euery Muscle draweth toward his owne originall not toward his insertion.
1681 J. Flavell Method of Grace xxviii. 498 The wisest and holiest among men may pretend no higher than a ruled rule.
a1740 D. Waterland Diss. Argument A Priori in Wks. (1823) IV. 407 This author looked upon it as a ruled point, a thing universally agreed to.
1751 B. Holloway Originals Physical & Theol. II. 274 We find this to have been already a ruled Point of customary or settled Observation, viz. that to eat Bread with the Hebrews was an Abomination to the Egyptians.
1834 Q. Rev. 52 455 It began to be rather disagreeable to consider it as a ruled point that the world was to come to an end between 1688 and 1700.
1876 Sc. Law Reporter 18 July 689/1 It is a ruled point that the Act does not apply to questions with third parties.
1899 Month Oct. 390 We must not make out and embrace a meaning that shall be contradictory of any ruled point of Catholic faith.
1917 W. B. Carpenter Further Pages of my Life 199 It would be playing fast and loose with God,..to desire a second reply to a ruled decision.
2005 Right of Access to Information in Mexico 97 This legislature is characterized by the large amount of unanimously voted issues and by a full discharge of ruled matters.
4.
a. Subjected to rule; governed.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > [adjective] > subject to rule or control
ruled1656
1656 R. Baxter Gildas Salvianus: 1st Pt. Pref. sig. b8 A Political Church, whose constitutive parts are the Ruling and the Ruled parts.
1832 F. Palgrave in Corporate Reform (1833) 57 The two portions of the community,—the ruling classes and the ruled classes—incorporated by law, but disunited by interest and feeling.
1858 Badger's Descr. Malta & Gozo (rev. ed.) ii. 150 That, which in reality promotes the interest, and lessens the wants of the ruled people.
1916 L. M. Phillipps Europe Unbound i. 8 Hatred of oppression, hatred of the passive and stationary attitude of a ruled people,..such are the unshakable resolves of the Balkan races.
1941 Jrnl. Negro Educ. 10 357/1 A European or world-wide Nazi ‘new order’ would..turn ruled peoples into socially dependent classes.
2003 Continuum Encycl. of Pop. Mus. of World 369/1 Folk and popular music, the musical expressions of ruled groups in society.
b. As the second element in compounds specifying the person or thing which governs or exerts control, as God-ruled, minority-ruled, money-ruled, etc. See also home-ruled adj., Turk-ruled at Turk n.1 Compounds 2.
ΚΠ
1827 C. Sprague Addr. Mass. Soc. 17 That wholesome mental equality, which can alone sustain a self-ruled people.
1848 Republican 1 10 A God-ruled state, a true model republic, a Christian commonwealth.
1879 Scribner's Monthly Dec. 178/1 In some forgotten ruler's reign, there stood an abbey in priest-ruled Spain.
1918 P. H. Drake Democracy made Safe x. 106 Such beneficent legislation is impossible in a money-ruled and money-mad civilization.
1971 D. F. Downs Culture in Crisis vii. 84 The imagined horror of a black-ruled nation.
1990 Deccan Herald (Bangalore) 29 Jan. 3/4 The State Government is not thinking of taking any action against minority-ruled zilla parishads.
2002 N. Lebrecht Song of Names vi. 197 Hanna Szenesz, who parachuted into Nazi-ruled Hungary, was captured, tortured, put to death.
II. Senses relating to measuring.† 7. Measured using a ruler, so as to be of a uniform size. Obsolete. rare.
5. Of a page or other surface: marked with parallel straight lines.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > representation > a plastic or graphic representation > graphic representation > drawing lines > [adjective] > marked with ruled lines
ruled1561
rulered1915
1561 R. Eden tr. M. Cortés Arte Nauigation iii. f. lviiv You must putte the ruled or lyned paper or papers [Sp. carta a rumbada] vpon a playne, smooth, and stedfast table.
1599 in R. Alison Psalmes of Dauid sig. Aiijv Our wel-beloued seruant..may sell and vtter any printed Bookes or quieres of such ruled paper.
1658 J. Collins Sector on Quadrant 116 It will be the readiest way to write down all the moveable Tearms first, as the natural sines of the several Altitudes in a ruled sheet of Paper.
1691 A. Wood Athenæ Oxonienses I. 756 Desiring the use of Ink and rul'd paper (such as we call Musical Paper).
1758 J. Armstrong Sketches 34 He writes but like a School-boy, who keeps in the Line only with the Help of ruled Paper.
1786 Morning Post 7 July Persons capable of copying music in the most neat and expeditious manner, and on very reasonable terms, on a most beautiful ruled paper.
1817 M. W. Shelley in E. Dowden Life P. Shelley (1887) II. 148 Remember..to bring me a good thick book to write extracts in, ruled.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xxii. 700 The neatly ruled pages of the subscription book..were still blank.
1892 Photogr. Ann. II. 178 A good ruled screen is obtained on development.
1930 20th Cent. Encycl. Printing viii. 253 The work and twist form is used for the printing of ruled work where the vertical and horizontal rules of a sheet are printed with one impression.
2000 K. Atkinson Emotionally Weird (2001) 401 Bob found a scrap of ruled paper and wrote.
6. Of a mark, line, etc.: formed with a ruler.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > representation > a plastic or graphic representation > graphic representation > drawing lines > [adjective] > made with ruler
ruled1597
machine-ruled1841
1597 P. Bales Arte Brachygraphie sig. E7v Whosoeuer shall learne to ioyne his letters and words euen together, must needes at his beginning be directed by ruled lines.
1637 R. Norwood Sea-mans Pract. v. 31 Make a Booke in a long Octavo, and upon the left side thereof set down such things as these before mentioned, reserving every right side and dividing them by Ruled Lines.
1654 R. Lloyd Schoole-masters Auxiliaries 43 Each several bound being made familiar in writing, by ruled lines after frequent use thereof, will grow customary and habituall without ruling.
1723 S. Mather Vindic. Holy Bible v. i. 253 All the ruled lines were to be first done on the skin, that the writing might apppear more fine and straight.
1785 ‘Mrs. Lovechild’ Art of Teaching in Sport 46 In the box are terminations, to enable children who cannot write to amuse themselves in that way: and ruled columns to place them upon.
1846 J. Ruskin Mod. Painters (ed. 3) I. 109 A violent, black, sharp, ruled penmanlike line.
1898 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. V. 446 The number of red corpuscles in it will be..crowded over the surface of the ruled squares.
1940 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 469/1 Joly screen, a colour mosaic consisting of ruled lines.
1970 R. F. Price Educ. in Communist China iv. 118 Ruled squares are used with new characters throughout the first four books.
1997 C. Carson Star Factory (1998) 7 I..hear the cursive scratch of a steel nib as I learn to write between the ruled lines of a copybook.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > measurement > measuring instrument > [adjective] > measured with a rule
ruled1758
1758 Universal Mag. Oct. 205/2 The fine red-cutting bricks are employed for ruled and gauged work.
B. n.
With the. Governed people as a class; subjects.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > [noun] > one subject to authority > of a monarch or ruler > collectively
land and ledeOE
ledesOE
lede folkc1275
peoplec1390
subjection1502
subject?1601
ruled1606
1606 E. Forset Compar. Disc. Bodies Nat. & Politique 3 (margin) In euery ciuill state there must be the ruling, and the ruled.
1654 J. Hall Of Govt. & Obed. sig. b Laws, Magistrates, &c. must be at the choice and dispose of such as rule, and also above the ruled.
1725 I. Watts Logick i. vi. §10 A Politician distributes Mankind according to their civil Characters, into the Rulers and the Ruled.
1786 Town & Country Mag. June 299/1 The rulers study only to preserve unjust authority: the ruled, only to be favoured or safe through servile obedience.
1850 Ld. Tennyson Princess (ed. 3) Concl. 173 God bless the narrow sea which..keeps our Britain, whole within herself, A nation yet, the rulers and the ruled.
1875 J. P. Hopps Princ. Relig. x. 32 He may become a hero, and, though punished by the rulers, may be rewarded by the ruled.
1902 Amer. Federationist Aug. 425/1 The ruled are hating the ruling, for they rule by the use of the wealth they possess, which was taken, by unfair means, from the ruled.
1968 A. Eberhard tr. W. Eberhard Local Cultures South & East China 6 We have numerous examples in history where the ‘ruled’ did not know whose ‘subjects’ they were.
1997 Daily Tel. 13 Mar. 26/6 Unless remedial action is taken very soon, the underlying contract between the rulers and the ruled could break down.
Compounds
ruled case n. an authoritative decision or ruling; a precedent.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > judging > [noun] > a case that has been decided
casec1390
ruled case1567
1567 J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. v. iv. 514 This Decree in old times stood as a ruled case.
1611 J. Speed Hist. Great Brit. ix. viii. 490/2 When the will of a Ruler, is a rule, or ruled-case to his Iudges.
1714 R. Fiddes Pract. Disc. (ed. 2) II. 6 We have both precept, Col. 2. 18, and what amounts in effect to a ruled case to the contrary, Rev. 22. 9.
1836 Biblical Repertory July 355 We all remember it as a ruled case in the matter of night-mare, that those who have been witch-ridden during sleep, suffer all the exhaustion which would be produced by a similar exercise in their waking hours.
1996 C. J. Humphrey & P. Milone-Nuzzo Orientation to Home Care Nursing 278/1 Precedent. A ruled case or court decision used as an example of authority for a similar case or one that raises similar issues.
ruled surface n. Geometry a surface swept out by a moving straight line.
ΚΠ
1836 A. De Morgan Differential & Integral Calculus xv. 401 The ruled surface (or the surface réglée of the French writers) is made by a straight line which moves in any manner whatever, according to a regular law.
1902 Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 3 60 All of these straight lines generated a ruled surface S which was never a developable surface.
2007 F. D. K. Ching Architecture (ed. 3) ii. 42/2 A ruled surface is generally easier to form and construct than a rotational or translational surface.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2011; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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adj.n.a1398