guideline

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: guide=line

CIDE DICTIONARY

guideline, n. 

 a formal rule describing how a situation must be handled; -- used as a direction to administrators from superiors.  [WordNet 1.5]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

guideline, n. a principle or criterion guiding or directing action.

THESAURUS

guideline

Procrustean law, approach, arrangement, attack, blueprint, blueprinting, calculation, canon, charting, code, commandment, conception, contrivance, convention, criterion, design, device, dictum, disposition, enterprise, envisagement, figuring, foresight, forethought, form, formality, formula, formulary, game, general principle, golden rule, graphing, ground plan, guidelines, guiding principle, idea, imperative, intention, law, law of nature, layout, lineup, long-range plan, mapping, master plan, maxim, method, methodology, mitzvah, moral, norm, norma, operations research, order of nature, ordinance, organization, plan, planning, planning function, prearrangement, prescribed form, prescription, principium, principle, procedure, program, program of action, rationalization, regulation, rubric, rule, schedule, schema, schematism, schematization, scheme, scheme of arrangement, set form, settled principle, setup, standard, standing order, strategic plan, strategy, system, systematization, tactical plan, tactics, tenet, the big picture, the picture, universal law, way, working plan, working principle, working rule