Etymologically
Log in

principal

Etymology and origin of the French word principal

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
c. 1100, Chanson de Roland
Borrowed from
Latin principalis
Ultimate origin
Latin (prīnceps)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin principalis
French principal

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /pʁɛ̃.si.pal/[1]

Forms

principal (feminine principale, masculine plural principaux, feminine plural principales)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin prīncipālis (“original; chief, foremost; of the emperor”), from prīnceps (“first; chief; emperor”) (see prince).[2][3][4][5][6] Old French also had a form principel.[5][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) a Saracen strikes Naimes en l'elme principal, where it seems to mean “princely”; the TLFi notes that editors do not agree.[2][3][7]

Semantic evolution

If that is its sense, it was an isolated one: from Philippe de Thaon (1119) it means “most important, foremost”, of things, and of persons from about 1175.[3][2] As a noun it meant an influential person (about 1175) and a military leader (about 1210); principal de collège, the head of a school, is in Estienne (1549).[2][3]

In law le principal is the main object of a claim (Beaumanoir, 1283) and the capital of a debt as against its interest (1323).[2][3] The grammatical proposition principale dates from the Encyclopédie (1765), and Condillac (1775) uses la principale alone.[2]

Timeline

  • c. 1100 – “Princely”, in the Chanson de Roland.[2]
  • 1119 – “Most important”, in Philippe de Thaon.[2]
  • c. 1175 – An influential person, in Benoît de Sainte-Maure.[2]
  • 1283 – The main object of a legal action, in Beaumanoir.[2]
  • 1323 – The capital of a debt.[2]
  • 1549 – Principal de collège.[2][5]
  • 1765 – Proposition principale.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Main, chief, principal: la raison principale, le rôle principal.[8][9]
  2. Résidence principale: one's main home, as opposed to a second home.[9][8]
  3. (grammar) Proposition principale: the main clause.[8][10]

Noun

  1. Le principal: the main thing: le principal est que tout se passe bien.[11]
  2. The head of a collège (a lower secondary school).[11][1]
  3. (finance, law) The capital of a debt, as opposed to the interest.[11][1]
  4. The head clerk of a notary's or solicitor's office.[11][10]
  5. (grammar) La principale: the main clause.[8][10]

Word family

  • principalement
  • principalat

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 9, 391a
  7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  8. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  9. ^ a b Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)
  10. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  11. ^ a b c d Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Principal.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/principal. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·