principle - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

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principle:

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Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
principle/ˈprɪnsəpl/

▶noun

1 a fundamental truth or proposition serving as the foundation for belief or action.
■ a rule or belief governing one's personal behaviour.

■ morally correct behaviour and attitudes: a man of principle.

2 a general scientific theorem or natural law.

3 a fundamental source or basis of something.
■ a fundamental quality or attribute.

4 Chemistry an active or characteristic constituent of a substance.

– phrases
in principle in theory.
on principle because of one's adherence to a particular belief.

– origin ME: from OFr., from L. principium ‘source’, principia (pl.) ‘foundations’, from princeps, princip- ‘first, chief’.

usage: Note that principle and principal do not have the same meaning. Principle is normally used as a noun meaning ‘a fundamental basis of a system of thought or belief’, as in this is one of the basic principles of democracy. Principal, on the other hand, is normally an adjective meaning ‘main or most important’, as in one of the country's principal cities. As a noun principal refers to the most senior or most important person in an organization: the deputy principal.

'principle' also found in these Oxford entries:

absolute - anthropic principle - apostasy - apostate - apostatize - Archimedes' principle - atman - behalf - board - canon - case study - causality - cause - caveat emptor - cogito - collectivism - communalism - conservation - contravene - correspondence principle - criterion - deduction - defeasible - dictate - dictum - diminish - dogma - double standard - egalitarian - element - entelechy - equipartition - Eros - establishmentarian - estoppel - exclude - explicate - found - foundation - fundamental - gas - generality - golden rule - govern - green - ground rule - guide - hold - ideal - indeterminacy principle

Forum discussions with the word(s) "principle" in the title:

"guideline" or "principle" or "discpline"
"There is great odds in regard to us on what principle we act"
a social rule/etiquette/principle/ethic
a tip on principle
Abbreviation: PNC (principle of non-contradiction) [article?]
are working in principle
as a matter of principle
at first glance to rescue the principle
basic principle
By virtue initially of/By virtue of the principle
difference between principle and rule(s)
End-weight principle: those who don't have the tickets they published
exclusion principle?
In those times, a principle was held <in/with> much prestige.
in/on the principle of
It's the principle of the matter.
Lifelong learning has developed from an initial idea into a dominant principle
Men wage wars for money and principle, but they fight wars for their women and their land.
no principle in his action.
principle alone
proof in principle
Proportional Analogy & Transparency Principle
rather than extending to embrace principle 1 as well
respect - autonomy - in principle
stand on principle
Subjunctive: ... you can will that your principle hold ...
The democratic principle of majority rule
The principle of generating small amounts were
the principle of the sloping horizon (archeology)
the principle that might is right
more...

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