doctrina

Doctrina is a noun meaning doctrine, instruction, or teaching. It derives from Latin doctrina, itself from docere, “to teach.” In classical and medieval Latin, doctrina referred to a body of teaching or a method of instruction rather than a fixed creed, a sense that has carried into modern Romance languages.

In Christian contexts, doctrina denotes official teachings of a church, its dogmas, and the broader body of theological, sacramental, and moral instruction. The term appears in historical catechetical works such as Doctrina Cristiana and similar texts used to convey Christian teaching to lay readers and catechumens. Beyond explicit dogma, it can also refer to the methodological framework or school of thought underlying a tradition's beliefs.

In contemporary Spanish, doctrina is used for both the general concept of doctrine and for formal bodies of teaching, including political, ethical, or philosophical principles. The term is cognate with related forms in other languages—dottrina in Italian, doutrina in Portuguese, and doctrine in English and French—though these languages employ their own spellings and nuances. Doctrina thus sits within a family of terms that designate a coherent set of beliefs, methods, or instructions adopted by a community, institution, or school of thought.

As a scholarly and organizational term, doctrina can describe guiding principles in law, education, religion, or public policy, indicating both content and the authority behind a given teaching.