Word of the Day
13 March 2026
rule
A thin plate of brass or other metal, of the same height as the type, and used for printing lines, as between columns on the same page, or in tabular work.
Why this one
The line on the page and the metal that made it shared one name, so a compositor asking for a rule meant a brass strip cut to type height, not a measurement or a regulation. It survives in the ruled lines of tables and forms.
In use
Set the tables with a hairline rule between columns and lock the whole lot up tight before it goes to the press.
Written by our editors to show how the term is used, not a recorded quotation.