Nearby Words
noun
Idioms1.
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.
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.
EXPANDguiding sense of the requirements and obligations of right conduct: a person of principle.
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.
COLLAPSEObsolete. beginning or commencement.
14.
in principle, in essence or substance; fundamentally: to accept a plan in principle.
15.
on principle,
a.
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.
b.
according to a fixed rule, method, or practice: He drank hot milk every night on principle.
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Principles
is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English, alteration of Middle French principe or Latin prīncipium, on the analogy of manciple. See principium
1350–1400; Middle English, alteration of Middle French principe or Latin prīncipium, on the analogy of manciple. See principium
Can be confused: principal, principle (see usage note at principal; see synonym note at the current entry).
Synonyms
1, 2, 3. 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. 2. theorem, axiom, postulate, proposition. 5. integrity, probity, rectitude, honor.
1, 2, 3. 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. 2. theorem, axiom, postulate, proposition. 5. integrity, probity, rectitude, honor.
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 principles
Example Sentences
- He taught himself the principles of photography at the age of 14.
- Those are the principles on which I do not intend to compromise.
- Beyond that, the balancing principles of contrast and repetition come into play.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
principle
c.1380, "fundamental truth or proposition," from Anglo-Norm. principle, from O.Fr. principe, from L. principium (pl. principia) "a beginning, first part," from princeps (see prince). Meaning "origin, source" is attested from 1413. Sense of "general rule of conduct" is from
EXPANDc.1532. Used absolutely for (good or moral) principle from 1653.
COLLAPSE
"It is often easier to fight for principles than to live up to them." [Adlai Stevenson, speech, New York City, Aug. 27, 1952]Hence principled "moral" (1697). Scientific sense of "general law of nature" is recorded from 1802.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
principle prin·ci·ple (prĭn'sə-pəl)
n.
A basic truth, law, or assumption.
A rule or law concerning the functioning of natural phenomena or mechanical processes.
One of the elements composing a chemical compound, especially one that gives some special quality or effect.
The essential ingredient in a drug.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
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