different between guideline vs criterion

English

Etymology

guide +? line

Noun

guideline (plural guidelines)

1. A non-specific rule or principle that provides direction to action or behaviour.

   He considered the Ten Commandments more a guideline than a requirement.

2. A plan or explanation to guide one in setting standards or determining a course of action.
3. A light line, used in lettering, to help align the text.

Synonyms

• (non-specific rule): rule of thumb
• (plan or explanation): rule of thumb

Descendants

• ? Japanese: ?????? (gaidorain)

Translations

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English guideline.

Noun

guideline f (invariable)

1. guideline

English

Alternative forms

• criteria (nonstandard)
• criterium

Etymology

From New Latin criterion, from Ancient Greek ????????? (krit?rion, “a test, a means of judging”), from ?????? (krit?s, “judge”), from ????? (krín?, “to judge”); see critic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?a??t???i.?n/, /k???t???i.?n/
• Rhymes: -??i?n

Noun

criterion (plural criteria)

1. A standard or test by which individual things or people may be compared and judged.

Usage notes

• The plural form criterions also exists, but is much less common.
• The form criteria is sometimes used as a nonstandard singular form (as in a criteria, this criteria, and so on), with corresponding plural form criterias. In this use, it sometimes means “a single criterion”, sometimes “a set of criteria”.

Related terms

• criterial
• crisis
• critic
• criticize
• critical

Translations

Further reading

• criterion in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• criterion in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• tricerion

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ????????? (krit?rion).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /kri?te.ri.on/, [k???t???i?n]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /kri?te.ri.on/, [k?i?t????i?n]

Noun

criterion n (genitive criteri?); second declension

1. criterion

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter, Greek-type).

Descendants

• ? Catalan: criteri
• ? Dutch: criterium
• ? English: criterion
• ? German: Kriterium
• ? Italian: criterio
• ? Spanish: criterio