pro·ce·dure / prəˈsējər/ • n. an established or official way of doing something: the police are now reviewing procedures| rules of procedure. ∎  a series of actions conducted in a certain order or manner: the standard procedure for informing new employees about conditions of work. ∎  a surgical operation: the procedure is carried out under general anesthesia. ∎  Comput. another term for subroutine.DERIVATIVES: pro·ce·dur·al adj.pro·ce·dur·al·ly adv.

procedure A section of a program that carries out some well-defined operation on data specified by parameters. It can be called from anywhere in a program, and different parameters can be provided for each call.

The term procedure is generally used in the context of high-level languages; in assembly language the word subroutine is more commonly employed.

PROCEDURE

The methods by which legal rights are enforced; the specific machinery for carrying on a lawsuit, including process, the pleadings, rules of evidence, and rules ofcivil procedureorcriminal procedure.

The form, manner, and order of steps taken in conducting a lawsuit are all regulated by procedural law, which regulates how the law will be administered. substantive law creates and defines rights that exist under the law.

cross-references

Civil Procedure.