Rubric

(from the Latin rubrica, “red ochre,” or “vermilion”). An ordinance or law was by the Romans called a rubric, because it was written with vermilion, in contradistinction to praetorian edicts or rules of the court, which were posted on a white ground. (Juvenal, xiv. 192.)

“Rubrica vetavit” = the law has forbidden it. (Persius, v. 99.)

“Praetores edicta sua in albo proponebant, acrubricas [i.e. jus civile] translalerunt.” —Quintilian, xii. 3, 11.

“Rules and orders directing how, when, and where all things in divine service are to be performed were formerly printed in red characters (now generally in italics), and called rubrics.” —Hook: Church Dictionary.

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language