principal的词源

英文词源

principal (adj.): c. 1300, "main, principal, chief, dominant, most important;" also "great, large," from Old French principal "main, most important," of persons, "princely, high-ranking" (11c.), from Latin principalis "first in importance; original, primitive," from princeps "first man, chief, leader" (see prince).
principal (n.): c. 1300, "ruler, governor;" also "main part;" from principal (adj.) or from or influenced by noun uses in Old French and Latin. From mid-14c. in the sense of "money on which interest is paid;" 1827 as "person in charge of a public school," though meaning "head of a college or hall" was in English from mid-15c.

词根词缀： -prin-首要 + -cip-拿 + -al形容词词尾

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：principal 词源，principal 含义。

来自古法语principal,主要的，最重要的，来自拉丁语principalis,最重要的，来自princeps,国王，统治者，酋长，词源同prince.引申词义名词词义校长，院长等。