a title, heading, direction, or the like, in a manuscript, book, statute, etc., written or printed in red or otherwise distinguished from the rest of the text.
a direction for the conduct of divine service or the administration of the sacraments, inserted in liturgical books.
any established mode of conduct or procedure; protocol.
an explanatory comment; gloss.
a class or category
Archaic. red ocher.
adjective
written, inscribed in, or marked with or as with red; rubrical.
Archaic. red; ruddy.
Origin of rubric
1325–75; <Latin rūbrīca red ocher (derivative of ruberred1); replacing Middle English rubriche, rubrike (noun) <Old French
In his zeal in this direction, Archbishop Sancroft actually went so far as to alter the rubric.
The Religious Life of London|J. Ewing Ritchie
British Dictionary definitions for rubric
rubric
/ (ˈruːbrɪk) /
noun
a title, heading, or initial letter in a book, manuscript, or section of a legal code, esp one printed or painted in red ink or in some similarly distinguishing manner
a set of rules of conduct or procedure
a set of directions for the conduct of Christian church services, often printed in red in a prayer book or missal
instructions to a candidate at the head of the examination paper
an obsolete name for red ochre
adjective
written, printed, or marked in red
Derived forms of rubric
rubrical, adjectiverubrically, adverb
Word Origin for rubric
C15 rubrike red ochre, red lettering, from Latin rubrīca (terra) red (earth), ruddle, from ruber red