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What (who) is principle - definition

GUIDING RULE OR INEVITABLE CONSEQUENCE OF SOMETHING, SUCH AS THE LAWS OBSERVED IN NATURE

Philosophical principles; Philosophical principle; Principle (philosophy); Statement of principles; Guiding principle; Principles

principle

(principles)

Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.

1.

A principle is a general belief that you have about the way you should behave, which influences your behaviour.

Buck never allowed himself to be bullied into doing anything that went against his principles...

It's not just a matter of principle.

...a man of principle.

N-VAR: usu poss N, adj N, prep N

2.

The principles of a particular theory or philosophy are its basic rules or laws.

...a violation of the basic principles of Marxism...

N-COUNT: usu N of n, adj N

3.

Scientific principles are general scientific laws which explain how something happens or works.

These people lack all understanding of scientific principles.

N-COUNT: usu adj N, N of n

4.

If you agree with something in principle, you agree in general terms to the idea of it, although you do yet know the details or know if it will be possible.

I agree with it in principle but I doubt if it will happen in practice.

PHRASE: usu PHR after v

5.

If something is possible in principle, there is no known reason why it should not happen, even though it has not happened before.

Even assuming this to be in principle possible, it will not be achieved soon.

PHRASE

6.

If you refuse to do something on principle, you refuse to do it because of a particular belief that you have.

He would vote against it on principle...

PHRASE: usu with brd-neg, PHR after v

principle

n.

1.

Origin, source, cause, original cause, spring, mainspring, fountain, groundwork, prime mover, fountain-head.

2.

Element, substratum, fundamental or primordial substance.

3.

Postulate, axiom, maxim, law, elementary proposition, fundamental truth.

4.

Doctrine, tenet, dogma, opinion, rule of action, law of conduct.

5.

Ground, motive, reason.

6.

Integrity, uprightness, rectitude, probity, honesty, virtue, righteousness, incorruptibility, goodness, trustworthiness, trustiness, worth, honor.

7.

Faculty, power, endowment of the soul.

principle

¦ 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 (plural) '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.

Wikipedia

Principle

A principle is a proposition or value that is a guide for behavior or evaluation. In law, it is a rule that has to be or usually is to be followed. It can be desirably followed, or it can be an inevitable consequence of something, such as the laws observed in nature or the way that a system is constructed. The principles of such a system are understood by its users as the essential characteristics of the system, or reflecting system's designed purpose, and the effective operation or use of which would be impossible if any one of the principles was to be ignored. A system may be explicitly based on and implemented from a document of principles as was done in IBM's 360/370 Principles of Operation.

Examples of principles are, entropy in a number of fields, least action in physics, those in descriptive comprehensive and fundamental law: doctrines or assumptions forming normative rules of conduct, separation of church and state in statecraft, the central dogma of molecular biology, fairness in ethics, etc.

In common English, it is a substantive and collective term referring to rule governance, the absence of which, being "unprincipled", is considered a character defect. It may also be used to declare that a reality has diverged from some ideal or norm as when something is said to be true only "in principle" but not in fact.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principles

Examples of use of principle

1. ASSAD: This is against our principle and my principle.

2. It is about the principle – and the principle is wrong.

3. Here a special principle applies, known as «the principle of the compulsory will.» This principle applies only in this case.

4. I laid down a principle which is known to you all — the principle of reciprocity.

5. "So I hope there will be that principle of accountability built right in alongside the principle of responsibility between us and future generations, the principle of transparency and also the principle of international co–operation.