principle

prin·ci·ple

Use principle in a sentence

noun

The definition of a principle is a basic truth or the source or origin of something or someone.

An example of principle is a list of values set by a group of people.

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"principle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/principLE>.

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principle. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/principLE

principle

the ultimate source, origin, or cause of something
a natural or original tendency, faculty, or endowment
a fundamental truth, law, doctrine, or motivating force, upon which others are based: moral principles
1. a rule of conduct, esp. of right conduct
2. such rules collectively
3. adherence to them; integrity; uprightness: a man of principle
an essential element, constituent, or quality, esp. one that produces a specific effect: the active principle of a medicine
1. the scientific law that explains a natural action: the principle of cell division
2. the method of a thing's operation: the principle of a gasoline engine is internal combustion

Origin of principle

ME, altered from Middle French principe from Classical Latin principium: see principium

principle Idioms

in principle

theoretically or in essence

on principle

because of or according to a principle

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MLA Style

"principle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/principLE>.

APA Style

principle. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/principLE

principle

noun

A basic truth, law, or assumption: the principles of democracy.
a. A rule or standard, especially of good behavior: a man of principle.
b. The collectivity of moral or ethical standards or judgments: a decision based on principle rather than expediency.
A fixed or predetermined policy or mode of action.
A basic or essential quality or element determining intrinsic nature or characteristic behavior: the principle of self-preservation.
A rule or law concerning the functioning of natural phenomena or mechanical processes: the principle of jet propulsion.
Chemistry One of the elements that compose a substance, especially one that gives some special quality or effect.
A basic source. See Usage Note at principal.

Origin of principle

Middle English alteration of Old French principe from Latin prīncipium from prīnceps prīncip- leader, emperor ; see per¹ in Indo-European roots.

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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MLA Style

"principle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/principLE>.

APA Style

principle. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/principLE

Noun

(plural principles)

A fundamental assumption.
We need some sort of principles to reason from.
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.
(usually in the plural) Moral rule or aspect.
I don't doubt your principles; 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.
(physics) A rule or law of nature, or the basic idea on how the laws of nature are applied.
Bernoulli's principle; The Pauli Exclusion Principle prevents two fermions from occupying the same state. The principle of the internal combustion engine
A fundamental essence, particularly one producing a given quality.
Many believe that life is the result of some vital principle.
A source, or origin; that from which anything proceeds; fundamental substance or energy; primordial substance; ultimate element, or cause.
An original faculty or endowment.

Usage notes

Principle is always a noun ("moral rule"), but it is often confused with principal, which can be an adjective ("most important") or a noun ("school principal"). Consult both definitions if in doubt.

Incorrect usage:

He is the principle musician in the band
She worked ten years as school principle

A mnemonic to avoid this confusion is "The principal alphabetic principle places A before E".

Verb

(third-person singular simple present principles, present participle principling, simple past and past participle principled)

To equip with principles; to establish, or fix, in certain principles; to impress with any tenet or rule of conduct.

Origin

From Old French principe, from Latin principium (“beginning, foundation"), from princeps (“first"); see prince.

English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.

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MLA Style

"principle." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 16 December 2018. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/principLE>.

APA Style

principle. (n.d.). Retrieved December 16th, 2018, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/principLE

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