Etymograph

English

principal

Principal comes from Old French principal, from Latin prīncipālis, from prīnceps ‘first, chief’.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīnceps1‘first, chief’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīncipālis1
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400principal1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500principal1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1579principal1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English principal
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1579, Immeritô pseudonym; Edmund Spenser, The Shepheardes Calender: […]: “a birde whose principals be scarce growne out”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīncepsWiktionary, English principal‘first, chief’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīncipālisWiktionary, English principal
  3. Old Frenchc. 842–1400principalWiktionary, English principal
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500principalWiktionary, English principal
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1579principalWiktionary, English principal. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1579, Immeritô pseudonym; Edmund Spenser, The Shepheardes Calender: […]: “a birde whose principals be scarce growne out”

Word family

English words that share an ancestor with principal, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.

through Proto-Indo-European *keh₂p-

13 more relatives in the full family tree

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Today it means

adj Primary; most important; first level in importance.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “principal”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin prīnceps / principal