Etymology of the English word principal
the English word
principalderived from the Old French word
principalderived from the Latin word
principalis (chief, principal)
derived from the Latin word
princeps (Princeps; senior Senator; leader of pack; first, foremost, leading; leader, chief, first)
derived from the Latin word
primus (chiefs, nobles; first, foremost, best)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*perderived from the Late Latin word
capere (to take; take hold, seize; grasp)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*kap-Derivations in English
subprincipal,
principallyUsage
Word found in Modern English
