Principle
/ˈprɪn.sə.pəl/noun
A fundamental truth, law, rule, or guiding belief.
Did you know?Principle comes from Latin principium, meaning “beginning” or “first part,” from princeps (“first, chief”), the same root that gave us prince and premier.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*per-
“to go through, forward; to come first”
Latin
Latin
princeps
“first, foremost; leader”
Latin
Latin
principium
“beginning, origin, first part”
Old French
Old French
principe
“source, beginning; fundamental truth”
Middle English
English
principle
“a fundamental truth, rule, or basis of action”
Modern English
English
principle
“a fundamental truth, law, or guiding belief”