Latin

Noun

prīncipium n ‎(genitive prīncipiī); second declension

1. a beginning, an origin

   In principio erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et Deus erat Verbum.

   In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and God was the Word.

2. a groundwork, a foundation
3. (in the plural) the elements, the first principles
4. (military, in the plural) the front ranks, camp headquarters

Inflection

Second declension.

See also

• Principia Philosophiae on the Latin Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^la

Descendants

• French: principe
• Spanish: principio

References

• principium in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• principium in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• PRINCIPIUM in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• Félix Gaffiot (1934), “principium”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
• Meissner, Carl; Auden, Henry William (1894) Latin Phrase-Book, London: Macmillan and Co.
  • the elements: elementa; initia or principia rerum
    
  • to start from false premises: a falsis principiis proficisci