Principle

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpɹɪnsɪpəl/

Definitions

1. A fundamental truth, law, or assumption that serves as the foundation for a system of belief, behavior, or reasoning
2. A basic rule or guideline that governs behavior, helps establish moral values, and supports logical reasoning in various contexts
3. An accepted standard or fundamental truth that determines behaviors, influences decisions, and provides a framework for understanding

Etymology: The word has a clearer ancestry than its modern sense suggests: it is built from a Latin phrase meaning roughly "first taker." Latin "prīnceps" meant "first" in the sense of foremost or chief, and it was formed from "prīmus" ("first") and "-ceps," a combining element from a verb meaning "to take" or "to catch." That same "prīnceps" gave English "prince," so the two words are close relatives. From "prīnceps" came Latin "prīncipium," meaning "beginning" or "foundation." The idea was that a principle is the starting point from which other things follow, the ground floor of an argument or a way of life. That sense of "foundation" is what carried into Old French as "principe" and then into Middle English, where the word first settled into English. Over time, the emphasis shifted from the physical or chronological starting point to the abstract idea of a foundational truth or rule. Today a principle is a guideline you reason from or live by, which is still the same notion of a first thing that everything else rests on.

Synonyms: rule, tenet, doctrine, belief, law

Antonyms: chaos, anarchy, lawlessness, disorder, irrationality