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   Prin·ci·ple

   /ˈprinsəp(ə)l/

   

   noun

   • 1. a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning: "the basic principles of Christianity" Similar truthpropositionconceptideatheorypostulateassumptionbasisfundamentalessenceessentialphilosophy
   • ▪ a rule or belief governing one's personal behavior: "struggling to be true to their own principles" Similar moralsmoralitymoral standardsmoral valuesethicscode of ethicsbeliefscredoidealsstandardsintegrityuprightnesshigh-mindednessrighteousnessvirtueprobityrectitudesense of honorhonordecencyconsciencesense of dutyscruples
   • ▪ morally correct behavior and attitudes: "a man of principle" Similar moralsmoralitymoral standardsmoral valuesethicscode of ethicsbeliefscredoidealsstandardsintegrityuprightnesshigh-mindednessrighteousnessvirtueprobityrectitudesense of honorhonordecencyconsciencesense of dutyscruples
   • 2. a general scientific theorem or law that has numerous special applications across a wide field.
   • ▪ a natural law forming the basis for the construction or working of a machine: "these machines all operate on the same general principle"
   • 3. a fundamental source or basis of something: "the first principle of all things was water"
   • ▪ a fundamental quality or attribute determining the nature of something; an essence: "the combination of male and female principles"
   • ▪ an active or characteristic constituent of a substance, obtained by simple analysis or separation: "the active principle in the medulla is epinephrine"

   Word Origin late Middle English: from Old French, from Latin principium ‘source’, principia (plural) ‘foundations’, from princeps, princip- ‘first, chief’.

   Scrabble Points: 15

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