Other forms: guidelines
A guideline is a stated rule of thumb for how to proceed. Follow the guidelines, official guidelines, guidelines rather than rules.
The word is doing careful work whenever it appears: guidelines are meant to be departed from with reason, which is exactly what distinguishes them from rules. Clinical guidelines are written that way deliberately.
1nounguidelineA stated rule of thumb for how to proceed.
“The government issued new guidelines on how much sugar children should eat.”
guideline is a rule.
Guide plus line, from a line stretched out to guide the way.
From guide + line.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA