Definition:
- (a.) 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.
- (a.) Of or pertaining to a prince; princely.
- (n.) 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.
- (n.) The chief actor in a crime, or an abettor who is present at it, -- as distinguished from an accessory.
- (n.) A chief obligor, promisor, or debtor, -- as distinguished from a surety.
- (n.) One who employs another to act for him, -- as distinguished from an agent.
- (n.) A thing of chief or prime importance; something fundamental or especially conspicuous.
- (n.) 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.
- (n.) 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.
- (n.) 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.
- (n.) A heirloom; a mortuary.
- (n.) The first two long feathers of a hawk's wing.
- (n.) One of turrets or pinnacles of waxwork and tapers with which the posts and center of a funeral hearse were formerly crowned.
- (n.) A principal or essential point or rule; a principle.
Compare principal with other words:
principal vs. principial
genie vs. principal
preliminary vs. principal
concept vs. principal
principal vs. significant
president vs. principal
focal vs. principal
discipline vs. principal
genus vs. principal
iota vs. principal
principal vs. prolusion
essential vs. principal
principal vs. theory
principal vs. rector
equity vs. principal
owner vs. principal
content vs. principal
honor vs. principal
ingenuity vs. principal
predominant vs. principal
fundamental vs. principal
mobile vs. principal
null vs. principal
principal vs. provost
principal vs. trustworthy
creed vs. principal
compound vs. principal
capital vs. principal
guide vs. principal
principal vs. worship
catch vs. principal
administer vs. principal
headteacher vs. principal
firms vs. principal
principal vs. surety
principal vs. stratus
principal vs. take
forum vs. principal
attending vs. principal
flagship vs. principal
principal vs. proximate
bauxite vs. principal
primo vs. principal
connote vs. principal
obverse vs. principal
cathedral vs. principal
bond vs. principal
preceptor vs. principal
banner vs. principal
prime vs. principal
bursar vs. principal
accessory vs. principal
mistress vs. principal
interest vs. principal
master vs. principal
principal vs. proprietor
client vs. principal
principal vs. ringleader
dean vs. principal
headmistress vs. principal
headmaster vs. principal
principal vs. rule
point vs. principal
hearse vs. principal
funeral vs. principal
principal vs. taper
principal vs. waxwork
pinnacle vs. principal
principal vs. wing
principal vs. turret
hawk vs. principal
framing vs. principal
feather vs. principal
iron vs. principal
principal vs. timber
principal vs. truss
principal vs. roof
construction vs. principal
diapason vs. principal
partner vs. principal
crime vs. principal
participant vs. principal
college vs. principal
principal vs. university
principal vs. principally
primary vs. principal
princely vs. principal
principal vs. propose
aristocratic vs. principal
archenemy vs. principal
conventional vs. principal
agent vs. principal
agency vs. principal
chief vs. principal
evergreen vs. principal
main vs. principal
principal vs. protagonist
generator vs. principal
principal vs. principality
prince vs. principal
mass vs. principal
adjunct vs. principal
managing vs. principal
chancellor vs. principal
earth vs. principal
principal vs. principle
principal vs. settler
poor vs. principal
carry vs. principal
head vs. principal
care vs. principal
principal vs. war
gobble vs. principal
disturb vs. principal
literal vs. principal