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principle
- 1) noun, a standard or rule of personal conduct
- 2) noun, a set of such moral rules
- 3) noun, adherence to such a moral code; morality
- 4) noun, a fundamental or general truth or law
- 5) noun, the essence of something
- 6) noun, a source or fundamental cause; origin
- 7) noun, a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the behaviour of a system
- 8) noun, an underlying or guiding theory or belief
- 9) noun, chem a constituent of a substance that gives the substance its characteristics and behaviour
- 10) noun, in principle in theory or essence
- 11) noun, on principle because of or in demonstration of a principle
Etymology
C14: from Latin principium beginning, basic tenet
Collins English Electronic Dictionary - Digital Edition: 2008 © HarperCollins Publishers 2008
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Synonyms
belief, honour, integrity, morality, attitude, truth, moral, standard, ideal, virtue, ethics, conscience, decency, scruple, probity, rectitude, upright, kaupapa (N.Z.), rule, standard, code, notion, criterion, ethic, doctrine, canon, creed, maxim, dogma, tenet, dictum, credo, axiom, rule, idea, law, theory, basis, concept, formula, fundamental, assumption, essence, proposition, verity, golden rule, precept, ideal, theoretical, in principle generally, by and large