Definitions for principalˈprɪn sə pəl

Random House Webster's College Dictionary

prin•ci•pal^*ˈprɪn sə pəl(adj.)

first or highest in rank, importance, value, etc.; chief; foremost.
of or constituting principal or capital:
a principal investment.
(n.)a chief or head.
the head or director of a school or, esp. in England, a college.
a chief actor or performer.
a matter of the greatest importance.
Law. a person who authorizes another to act for him or her. a person who commits a crime or is present and acts as an abettor.
Category: Law
a capital sum, as distinguished from interest or profit.
the main body of an estate, or the like, as distinguished from income.
(in a framed structure) a member, as a truss, upon which adjacent or similar members depend for support or reinforcement.
Category: Building Trades
each of the combatants in a duel, as distinguished from the seconds.

^* Syn: See capital1.Usage: Although pronounced alike, principle and principal are not interchangeable in writing. A principle is broadly “a rule of action or conduct” or “a fundamental doctrine or tenet.” The adjective principal has the general sense “chief, first, foremost.” The noun principal has among other meanings “the head or director of a school” and “a capital sum, as distinguished from interest or profit.”

Origin of principal:

1250–1300; ME < L prīncipālis first, chief =prīncip- (see prince ) +-ālis -al1

prin′ci•pal•ship`(n.)

Princeton's WordNet

principal(noun)
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
principal, school principal, head teacher, head(noun)
the educator who has executive authority for a school
"she sent unruly pupils to see the principal"
star, principal, lead(noun)
an actor who plays a principal role
principal, corpus, principal sum(noun)
capital as contrasted with the income derived from it
principal(noun)
(criminal law) any person involved in a criminal offense, regardless of whether the person profits from such involvement
principal, dealer(adj)
the major party to a financial transaction at a stock exchange; buys and sells for his own account
chief(a), main(a), primary(a), principal(a), master(a)(adj)
most important element
"the chief aim of living"; "the main doors were of solid glass"; "the principal rivers of America"; "the principal example"; "policemen were primary targets"; "the master bedroom"; "a master switch"

Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary

principal(adjective)ˈprɪn sə pəl
most important; = main
her principal reasons for leaving
principal(noun)ˈprɪn sə pəl
the head of a school
He was sent to the principal's office.

Wiktionary

principal(Noun)
The money originally invested or loaned, on which basis interest and returns are calculated.
A portion of your mortgage payment goes to reduce the principal, and the rest covers interest.
principal(Noun)
The chief administrator of a school.
principal(Noun)
The chief executive and chief academic officer of a university or college.
principal(Noun)
One who directs another (the agent) to act on oneu2032s behalf.
When an attorney represents a client, the client is the principal who permits the attorney, the clientu2032s agent, to act on the clientu2032s behalf.
principal(Noun)
The primary participant in a crime.
principal(Noun)
A company represented by a salesperson.
My principal sells metal shims.
principal(Noun)
A partner or owner of a business.
principal(Noun)
A diapason, a type of organ stop on a pipe organ.
principal(Adjective)
Primary; most important.

Origin: From principalis.

Webster Dictionary

Principal(adj)
highest in rank, authority, character, importance, or degree; most considerable or important; chief; main; as, the principal officers of a Government; the principal men of a state; the principal productions of a country; the principal arguments in a case
Principal(adj)
of or pertaining to a prince; princely
Principal(noun)
a leader, chief, or head; one who takes the lead; one who acts independently, or who has controlling authority or influence; as, the principal of a faction, a school, a firm, etc.; -- distinguished from a subordinate, abettor, auxiliary, or assistant
Principal(noun)
the chief actor in a crime, or an abettor who is present at it, -- as distinguished from an accessory
Principal(noun)
a chief obligor, promisor, or debtor, -- as distinguished from a surety
Principal(noun)
one who employs another to act for him, -- as distinguished from an agent
Principal(noun)
a thing of chief or prime importance; something fundamental or especially conspicuous
Principal(noun)
a capital sum of money, placed out at interest, due as a debt or used as a fund; -- so called in distinction from interest or profit
Principal(noun)
the construction which gives shape and strength to a roof, -- generally a truss of timber or iron, but there are roofs with stone principals. Also, loosely, the most important member of a piece of framing
Principal(noun)
in English organs the chief open metallic stop, an octave above the open diapason. On the manual it is four feet long, on the pedal eight feet. In Germany this term corresponds to the English open diapason
Principal(noun)
a heirloom; a mortuary
Principal(noun)
the first two long feathers of a hawk's wing
Principal(noun)
one of turrets or pinnacles of waxwork and tapers with which the posts and center of a funeral hearse were formerly crowned
Principal(noun)
a principal or essential point or rule; a principle