principal

CEFRB1

/ˈpɹɪn.sɪ.pəl/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Most important or main.

  2. 02

    noun

    The head of a school or organization.

Examples

  • The principal reason for this omission is lack of time.

  • The principal severely reproved the students whenever they made a mess in the hallway.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [ˈpɹɪn.sɪ.pɫ̩]

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Chosen or assumed among a branch of possible values of a multi-valued function so that the function is single-valued.

  2. Of or relating to a prince; princely.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. An amount of money borrowed or invested, not including interest.

More examples

In context

  • The students gathered at the call of the principal.

  • Smith is the principal architect of this design.

  • The principal cause of the failure was poor planning.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

As the head administrator, the blank has the final say on school policies.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

From Middle English principal, from Old French principal, from Latin prīncipālis.