principle
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Contents |
English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From Old French principe, from Latin principium (“beginning, foundation”), from princeps (“first”); see prince.
Pronunciation [edit]
Noun [edit]
principle (plural principles)
- A fundamental assumption.
- 2011 July 20, Edwin Mares, “Propositional Functions”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, accessed on 2012-07-15:
- Let us consider ‘my dog is asleep on the floor’ again. Frege thinks that this sentence can be analyzed in various different ways. Instead of treating it as expressing the application of __ is asleep on the floor to my dog, we can think of it as expressing the application of the concept
my dog is asleep on __
to the object
the floor
(see Frege 1919). Frege recognizes what is now a commonplace in the logical analysis of natural language. We can attribute more than one logical form to a single sentence. Let us call this the principle of multiple analyses. Frege does not claim that the principle always holds, but as we shall see, modern type theory does claim this.
- Let us consider ‘my dog is asleep on the floor’ again. Frege thinks that this sentence can be analyzed in various different ways. Instead of treating it as expressing the application of __ is asleep on the floor to my dog, we can think of it as expressing the application of the concept
- We need some sort of principles to reason from.
- 2011 July 20, Edwin Mares, “Propositional Functions”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, accessed on 2012-07-15:
- A rule used to choose among solutions to a problem.
- The principle of least privilege holds that a process should only receive the permissions it needs.
- (usually plural) Moral rule or aspect.
- I don't doubt your principles; you are clearly a person of principle.
- It's the principle of the thing; I won't do business with someone I can't trust.
- (physics) A rule or law of nature, or the basic idea on how the laws of nature are applied.
- Bernoulli's principle
- The Pauli Exclusion Principle prevents two fermions from occupying the same state.
- The principle of the internal combustion engine
- A fundamental essence, particularly one producing a given quality.
- Many believe that life is the result of some vital principle.
- Cathartine is the bitter, purgative principle of senna. — Gregory.
- (obsolete) A beginning.
- Doubting sad end of principle unsound. — Spenser.
Usage notes [edit]
Principle (moral rule) is often confused with principal (most important). Consult both definitions if in doubt.
The confused may care to remember that 'The principal alphabetic principle places A before E' as a reminder of the relative spelling.
Synonyms [edit]
- (moral rule or aspect): tenet
Derived terms [edit]
Derived terms
Related terms [edit]
Translations [edit]
fundamental assumption
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rule to solve a problem
moral rule or aspect
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rule of nature
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Translations to be checked
Verb [edit]
principle (third-person singular simple present principles, present participle principling, simple past and past participle principled)
- (transitive) To equip with principles; to establish, or fix, in certain principles; to impress with any tenet or rule of conduct.
- L'Estrange
- Governors should be well principled.
- Locke
- Let an enthusiast be principled that he or his teacher is inspired.
- L'Estrange
External links [edit]
- principle in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- principle in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
