principle

[prin-suh-puhl]

noun

1. an accepted or professed rule of action or conduct.

   a person of good moral principles.

2. a fundamental, primary, or general law or truth from which others are derived.

   the principles of modern physics.

   Synonyms: proposition, postulate, axiom, theorem

3. a fundamental doctrine or tenet; a distinctive ruling opinion.

   the principles of the Stoics.

4. principles, a personal or specific basis of conduct or management.

   to adhere to one's principles; a kindergarten run on modern principles.

5. guiding sense of the requirements and obligations of right conduct.

   a person of principle.

   Synonyms: honor, rectitude, probity, integrity

6. an adopted rule or method for application in action.

   a working principle for general use.

7. a rule or law exemplified in natural phenomena, the construction or operation of a machine, the working of a system, or the like.

   the principle of capillary attraction.

8. the method of formation, operation, or procedure exhibited in a given case.

   a community organized on the patriarchal principle.

9. a determining characteristic of something; essential quality.

10. an originating or actuating agency or force.

    growth is the principle of life.

11. an actuating agency in the mind or character, as an instinct, faculty, or natural tendency.

    the principles of human behavior.

12. Chemistry.,  a constituent of a substance, especially one giving to it some distinctive quality or effect.

13. Obsolete.,  beginning or commencement.

principle

¹

/ ˈprɪnsɪpəl /

noun

1. a standard or rule of personal conduct

   a man of principle

2. (often plural) a set of such moral rules

   he'd stoop to anything

   he has no principles

3. adherence to such a moral code; morality

   it's not the money but the principle of the thing

   torn between principle and expediency

4. a fundamental or general truth or law

   first principles

5. the essence of something

   the male principle

6. a source or fundamental cause; origin

   principle of life

7. a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the behaviour of a system

   the principle of the conservation of mass

8. an underlying or guiding theory or belief

   the hereditary principle

   socialist principles

9. chem a constituent of a substance that gives the substance its characteristics and behaviour

   bitter principle

10. in theory or essence

11. because of or in demonstration of a principle

Principle

²

/ ˈprɪnsɪpəl /

noun

1. Christian Science another word for God

Usage

Principle and principal are often confused: the principal (not principle ) reason for his departure; the plan was approved in principle (not in principal )

Confusables Note

See principal.

Word History and Origins

Origin of principle¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, alteration of Middle French principe or Latin prīncipium, on the analogy of manciple; principium

Word History and Origins

Origin of principle¹

C14: from Latin principium beginning, basic tenet

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in principle, in essence or substance; fundamentally.

   to accept a plan in principle.

2. on principle,

   1. according to personal rules for right conduct; as a matter of moral principle.

      He refused on principle to agree to the terms of the treaty.

   2. according to a fixed rule, method, or practice.

      He drank hot milk every night on principle.

see in principle; on principle.

Synonym Study

Principle, canon, rule imply something established as a standard or test, for measuring, regulating, or guiding conduct or practice. A principle is a general and fundamental truth that may be used in deciding conduct or choice: to adhere to principle. Canon, originally referring to an edict of the Church (a meaning that it still retains), is used of any principle, law, or critical standard that is officially approved, particularly in aesthetics and scholarship: canons of literary criticism. A rule, usually something adopted or enacted, is often the specific application of a principle: the golden rule.

Example Sentences

"Our policing response has been guided by multi-agency principles and legislation, and we have worked closely with our partners in responding to this matter," he said.

From BBC

The National Council for Human Rights welcomed the pardons, saying the decision was "a step that underscores a growing commitment to reinforcing the principles of swift justice and upholding fundamental rights and freedoms".

From BBC

The Artemis Accords “set out a practical set of principles to guide space exploration,” according to the State Department.

From Los Angeles Times

The president leads a party whose principle slogan seems to be “My way or the highway.”

From Salon

A key example is the long-standing protection of donor privacy in U.S. law, a principle that conservatives generally favor.

From Salon

Related Words

• assumption 
• basis 
• convention 
• doctrine 
• ethic 
• foundation 
• fundamental 
• precept 
• proposition 
• regulation 
• rule 
• truth