Etymologically
Log in

principal

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 00:11. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈprɪn.sə.pəl/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English principal, borrowed from Old French principal (“main, most important; princely”),[2][3] and directly from Latin prīncipālis (“first in importance, original”),[2][3][4] from prīnceps, prīncipis “first man, chief, ruler”,[2][3] from prīmus “first” and the root of capere “to take”,[2] from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to grasp”).[2] It is related to prince, principle and prime.[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Chief, main, most important: about 1290 of things and 1297 of persons in the OED,[6] about 1300 in Barnhart and Etymonline.[3][2] The noun, a chief man or leading representative, is also from about 1300.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In law a principal was from about 1300 one who takes the leading part in an action.[2] A ruler or governor is from the mid-14th century, and the head of a college or hall from the mid-15th century.[2] The person in charge of a school is from 1827, in American English.[2][3] A main sum of money, the money on which interest is paid, is from the early 15th century (1430–1431 in Barnhart).[2][3] The leading actor in a play is from the 16th century,[5] and the pantomime principal boy from 1893.[6]

Timeline

  • c. 1290 – chief, main, of things.[6]
  • c. 1300 – noun, chief man; in law, a main party.[2]
  • mid-14th century – a ruler.[2]
  • 1430–31 – a sum lent at interest.[3]
  • mid-15th century – head of a college.[2]
  • 1827 – head of a school.[2][3]
  • 1893 – principal boy.[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Most important; main or chief.

Noun

  1. The head of a school or college.
  2. A leading performer in a play, opera or ballet.
  3. A sum of money lent or invested, on which interest is paid.
  4. (law) A person for whom an agent acts, or the main person responsible for a crime.
  5. A main participant in a situation.

Word family

  • principally
  • principalship
  • subprincipal
  • principal ideal
  • principal ideal domain
  • principal quantum number

Usage notes

Principal and principle are often confused but share no meanings.[7] Principle is only a noun, mostly meaning a basic truth or rule, while principal is both a noun and an adjective, the adjective meaning “chief, leading”.[7]

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin