The word for today is…

tenet (noun):

: a principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true. Especially : one held in common by members of an organization, movement, or profession

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : Tenet holds a centuries-long tenure in the English language, but its hometown is Latin. In that language, tenet is a form of the verb tenere (“to hold”) and means “s/he holds.” Tenet was borrowed into English around 1600, probably because of use of the word in Latin writings to introduce text giving a principle or doctrine held by a person or group, such as a particular church or sect. The word’s English use today seems clearly linked: “a principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true, and especially one held in common by members of an organization, movement, or profession.” Note that the similar-sounding word tenant is also from tenere; it arrived in the 1300s and typically refers today to someone who rents or leases a house, apartment, etc., from a landlord. Tenure is a tenere descendant too.

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David is a retired surgeon originally from London who came to New Zealand twenty-seven years ago after being delayed in Singapore for thirteen years on leaving the UK. He was coerced into studying Latin...