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adjective
1.
first or highest in rank, importance, value, etc.; chief; foremost.
2.
of, of the nature of, or constituting principal or capital: a principal investment.
3.
Geometry. (of an axis of a conic) passing through the foci.
noun
4.
a chief or head.
5.
the head or director of a school or, especially in England, a college.
6.
a person who takes a leading part in any activity, as a play; chief actor or doer.
7.
the first player of a division of instruments in an orchestra (excepting the leader of the first violins).
8.
EXPANDsomething of principal or chief importance.
9.
Law.
a.
a person who authorizes another, as an agent, to represent him or her.
b.
a person directly responsible for a crime, either as an actual perpetrator or as an abettor present at its commission. Compare accessory (def. 3).
10.
a person primarily liable for an obligation, in contrast with an endorser, or the like.
11.
the main body of an estate, or the like, as distinguished from income.
12.
Finance. a capital sum, as distinguished from interest or profit.
13.
Music.
a.
an organ stop.
b.
the subject of a fugue.
14.
(in a framed structure) a member, as a truss, upon which adjacent or similar members depend for support or reinforcement.
15.
COLLAPSEeach of the combatants in a duel, as distinguished from the seconds.
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Principal
is an LSAT word you need to know.
So is property. Does it mean:
| the possession or possessions of a particular owner, such as land or goods |
| opposite in nature or character; diametrically or mutually opposed |
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English < Latin prīncipālis first, chief, equivalent to prīncip- (see prince) + -ālis -al1
1250–1300; Middle English < Latin prīncipālis first, chief, equivalent to prīncip- (see prince) + -ālis -al1
Related forms
prin·ci·pal·ship, noun
un·der·prin·ci·pal, noun
Can be confused: principal, principle (see usage note at the current entry; see synonym note at principle).
Synonyms
1. prime, paramount, leading, main, cardinal, preeminent. See capital1. 4. leader. 5. headmaster, dean, master.
1. prime, paramount, leading, main, cardinal, preeminent. See capital1. 4. leader. 5. headmaster, dean, master.
Antonyms
1. secondary, ancillary.
1. secondary, ancillary.
Usage note
The noun principle and the noun and adjective principal are often confused. Although pronounced alike, the words are not interchangeable in writing. A principle is broadly “a rule of action or conduct” (His overriding principle is greed) or “a fundamental doctrine or tenet” (Their principles do not permit the use of alcoholic beverages). EXPANDThe adjective principal has the general sense “chief, first, foremost”: My principal objection is the cost of the project. The noun principal has among other meanings “the head or director of a school” (The faculty supported the principal in her negotiations with the board) and “a capital sum, as distinguished from interest or profit” (The monthly payments go mostly for interest, leaving the principal practically untouched)
COLLAPSE
The noun principle and the noun and adjective principal are often confused. Although pronounced alike, the words are not interchangeable in writing. A principle is broadly “a rule of action or conduct” (His overriding principle is greed) or “a fundamental doctrine or tenet” (Their principles do not permit the use of alcoholic beverages). EXPANDThe adjective principal has the general sense “chief, first, foremost”: My principal objection is the cost of the project. The noun principal has among other meanings “the head or director of a school” (The faculty supported the principal in her negotiations with the board) and “a capital sum, as distinguished from interest or profit” (The monthly payments go mostly for interest, leaving the principal practically untouched)
COLLAPSE
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To Principal
Collins
World English Dictionary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
principal
late 13c., from O.Fr. principal (11c.), from L. principalis "first in importance," from princeps (see prince). The noun is c.1300 in the sense of "ruler;" mid-14c. in the sense of "money on which interest is paid;" 1827 as "person in charge of a public school," though meaning
EXPAND"head of a college or hall" was in English from mid-15c., and the basic sense of "chief, commander, ruler" is recorded from late 14c. Principally "in the first place, mainly" is from mid-14c.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary
principal definition
The original amount of money lent, not including profits and interest.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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