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Precept vs Pretext - What's the difference?

precept | pretext |

As nouns the difference between precept and pretext

is that precept is a rule or principle, especially one governing personal conduct while pretext is a false, contrived, or assumed purpose or reason; a pretense.

As verbs the difference between precept and pretext

is that precept is to teach by precepts while pretext is to employ a pretext, which involves using a false or contrived purpose for soliciting the gain of something else.

precept

English

(wikipedia precept)

Alternative forms

* (obsolete)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A rule or principle, especially one governing personal conduct.
  • * 2006 : , The Gift of Language
  • ** I need hardly point out that Pinker doesn't really believe anything of what he writes, at least if example is stronger evidence of belief than precept .
  • * 1891 :
  • ** He found a people in the extreme of barbarism living in caves, feeding upon the bloody flesh of animals they killed in hunting; he taught them many things, so that by his example, and for generations after he left them by his precepts , they advanced to high civilization.
  • (legal) A written command, especially a demand for payment.

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To teach by precepts.
    • (Francis Bacon)

    Anagrams

    * ----

    pretext

    English

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A false, contrived, or assumed purpose or reason; a pretense.
    • The reporter called the company on the pretext of trying to resolve a consumer complaint.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2012 , date=May 27 , author=Nathan Rabin , title=TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992) , work=The Onion AV Club citation , page= , passage=When that metaphor proves untenable, he switches to insisting that women are like beer but that’s mainly as a pretext to drink until he passes out in a father-son bonding haze.}}

    Synonyms

    * See also

    Verb

    (Pretexting) (en verb)
  • To employ a pretext, which involves using a false or contrived purpose for soliciting the gain of something else.
    • The spy obtained his phone records using possibly-illegal pretexting methods.

    Synonyms

    * blag (UK)

    See also

    * (Social engineering)

    External links

    * *