Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
Nearby Entries
Definition of principals - 2 dictionary results
Administrative Licensure
 UMD licenses administrators. Principals and Superintendents.
 www.d.umn.edu/educ/programs/edad
Enterprise Software Demos
 Register for Free Business Software Demos. Registration Required!
 www.2020Software.com

prin⋅ci⋅pal

  [prin-suh-puhl]
Use principals in a Sentence
–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, esp. 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. something 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. each of the combatants in a duel, as distinguished from the seconds.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME < L prīncipālis first, chief, equiv. to prīncip- (see prince ) + -ālis -al 1

Related forms:
prin⋅ci⋅pal⋅ship, noun

Synonyms:
1. prime, paramount, leading, main, cardinal, preeminent. See capital 1 . 4. leader. 5. headmaster, dean, master.

Antonyms:
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). The 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).
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To principals
prin·ci·pal   (prĭn'sə-pəl)   
adj.  
  1. First, highest, or foremost in importance, rank, worth, or degree; chief. See Synonyms at chief.
  2. Of, relating to, or being financial principal, or a principal in a financial transaction.
n.  
  1. One who holds a position of presiding rank, especially the head of an elementary school or high school.
  2. A main participant in a situation.
  3. A person having a leading or starring role.
    1. The capital or main body of an estate or financial holding as distinguished from the interest or revenue from it.
    2. A sum of money owed as a debt, upon which interest is calculated.
    3. A person who empowers another to act as his or her representative.
    4. The person having prime responsibility for an obligation as distinguished from one who acts as surety or as an endorser.
    5. One who commits or is an accomplice to a crime.
  5. Law
    1. A person who empowers another to act as his or her representative.
    2. The person having prime responsibility for an obligation as distinguished from one who acts as surety or as an endorser.
    3. One who commits or is an accomplice to a crime.
  6. Architecture Either of a pair of inclined timbers forming the sides of a triangular truss for a pitched roof.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin prīncipālis, from prīnceps, prīncip-, leader, emperor; see per1 in Indo-European roots.]
prin'ci·pal·ly adv., prin'ci·pal·ship' n.
Usage Note: Principal and principle are often confused but have no meanings in common. Principle is only a noun and usually refers to a rule or standard. Principal is both a noun and an adjective. As a noun, it has specialized meanings in law and finance, but in general usage it refers to a person who holds a high position or plays an important role: a meeting among all the principals in the transaction. As an adjective it has the sense of "chief" or "leading": The coach's principal concern is the quarterback's health.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see principals on Thesaurus | Reference
Administrative Licensure
 UMD licenses administrators. Principals and Superintendents.
 www.d.umn.edu/educ/programs/edad
Enterprise Software Demos
 Register for Free Business Software Demos. Registration Required!
 www.2020Software.com