principle
//ˈpɹɪn.sɪ.pəl//
formalForms
- Plural
- principles
- present (v1)
- principle
- past (v2)
- principled
- past participle (v3)
- principled
- present participle
- principling
- 3rd person singular
- principles
Definitions
1.A fundamental assumption, fundamental law or guiding belief.
- We need some sort of principles to reason from.
2.A rule used to choose among solutions to a problem.
- The principle of least privilege holds that a process should only receive the permissions it needs.
3.Moral rule or aspect.
- You are clearly a person of principle.
- It's the principle of the thing; I won't do business with someone I can't trust.
- I don't doubt your principles.
4.A rule or law of nature, or the basic idea on how the laws of nature are applied.
- The Pauli Exclusion Principle prevents two fermions from occupying the same state.
1.To equip with principles; to establish, or fix, in certain principles; to impress with any tenet or rule of conduct.
- Let an enthusiast be principled that he or his teacher is inspired.
Frequency
Overall
Common· #1370
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Common
- Academic
- Common
- Literature
- Rare
Related words
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English principle, from Old French principe, from Latin prīncipium (“beginning, foundation”), from prīnceps (“first”).
By surface analysis, prīmus (“first”) + -ceps (“catcher”); the former ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- (“before”); see also prince.