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principal Definition

prin·ci·pal (prin′sə pəl)

adjective

  1. first in rank, authority, importance, degree, etc.
  2. that is or has to do with principal ()

Etymology: OFr < L principalis < princeps: see prince

noun

  1. a principal person or thing; specif.,
    1. a chief; head
    2. a governing or presiding officer, specif. of a school
    3. a main actor or performer
    4. either of the combatants in a duel
    1. any of the main end rafters of a roof, supporting the purlins
    2. a roof truss
  3. Finance
    1. the amount of a debt, investment, etc. minus the interest, or on which interest is computed
    2. the face value of a stock or bond
    3. the main body of an estate, etc., as distinguished from income
  4. Law
    1. a person who employs another to act as his agent
    2. the person primarily responsible for an obligation
    3. a person who commits a crime or is present as an abettor to it
  5. Music
    1. any of the principal open stops of an organ
    2. the soloist in a concert
    3. the first player of any section of orchestral instruments except the first violins
    4. the subject of a fugue

principal Related Forms
prin′·ci·pally adverb prin′·ci·pal·ship′ noun
principal Synonyms

principal

modif.

leading, chief, first, head, primary, prime, main, foremost, cardinal, key, major, essential, capital, important, preeminent, highest, supreme, premier, prominent, dominant, predominant, predominating, supereminent, controlling, ruling, superior, prevailing, paramount, greatest, front rank, highest-ranking, top-ranking, ranking, starring, star, stellar, incomparable, peerless, matchless, transcendent, unequaled, unrivaled, unsurpassed, maximum, crowning, sovereign, second to none, ultimate, mainline, world-class, number one*.

Antonyms unimportant*, secondary, accessory.

principal is applied to the thing or person having precedence over all others by reason of size, position, importance, etc. the principal rivers of Africa; chief is applied to a person or thing first in rank, authority, importance, significance, etc., and usually connotes subordination of all others chief executive officer, the chief advantages; main, in strict usage, is applied to the thing, often part of a system or an extensive whole, that is preeminent in size, power, importance, etc. the main line of a railroad; leading may stress capacity for guiding, conducting, or drawing others as well as implying a position first in importance or rank a leading light of the community; foremost suggests being first by having moved ahead to that position the foremost statesman of our time; capital is applied to that which is ranked at the head of its kind or class because of its importance or its special significance the capital city

principal Synonyms

principal

n.

chief, head, chief party, master; see administrator.

principal Finance Definition
  1. The amount of money that is borrowed, excluding the interest charge, that remains unpaid. Principal also may be part of a monthly payment that reduces the outstanding balance of a loan. For instance, mortgage payments consist of principal and interest payments.
  2. The person or company who is the main party to a transaction.
  3. The role that a broker or dealer plays when selling or buying securities for his or her own account.
  4. A company executive, typically one with an ownership interest in the company.
principal Law Definition

adj

Of greatest importance.

n

One who authorizes another to act in his or her behalf as an agent; any person involved in the commission of a criminal act.
disclosed
A principal whose identity is shared by his or her agent with the third party.
principal in the first degree
The actual perpetrator of a crime.
principal in the second degree
Someone who assists in some way the principal in the first degree.
undisclosed
A principal whose identity is kept secret by his agent. Both the undisclosed principal and the authorized agent are liable for fulfilling the provisions of a contract.
principal Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • college: Your initial focus will be on the development of programs aimed at aspiring principals of colleges in England.

Converse of object

  • become: He later went on to become Principal of Stroud School of Art, a post he held for over six years.
  • apply: Once you have learned the wildlife technique, it would be easy to apply the same principal to other animal.
  • act: The first speaker was Professor Barry Ife, Acting Principal of King's College London.
  • teach: Curriculum initiatives Schools support pupils and their families to eat more healthily by teaching the principals of sound nutrition in the curriculum.

Adjective modifier

  • guiding: Consequently the guiding principals of supported self diagnosis and rehabilitation are lost.
  • deputy: The deputy principal returned to talk about a current problem with theft.
  • sole: As the sole principal and head copywriter at ST Y KER my clients get personal attention second to none.
  • general: Method: In 2000 a self-administered postal questionnaire survey was sent to all 343 general practitioner principals on the list of Lincolnshire Health Authority.
  • same: Once you have learned the wildlife technique, it would be easy to apply the same principal to other animal.
  • first: Anne Hunter Small, the first principal, was one of the few women who gave a paper at the Edinburgh Conference on 1910.

Modifies a noun

  • investigator: Clinical Trials: Professor Leigh has been a Principal Investigator for many clinical trials in MND.
  • conductor: In 1985 Frank returned to London to become Principal Conductor of the Royal Artillery Orchestra, London's oldest professional orchestra.
  • aim: Decision to dispose of items will not be made with the principal aim of generating funds.
  • landowner: The Earl of Coventry is lord of the manor and principal landowner.
  • objective: The principal objective of the reform was to create a free real estate market.
  • contractor: Laing O'Rourke is the principal contractor for the Terminal 1 extension.

Noun used with modifier

  • college: What exactly do NGfL Managed Services offer to busy head teachers and college principals who are looking to improve their ICT facilities?
  • school: The characteristics of worthwhile activities were not defined by the researchers but emerged out of interviews with teachers and school principals.
  • team: Williams team principal Frank Williams hailed the deal as a landmark step toward making his outfit competitive once again.