What Is Principle? Definition And Usage Of This Term

WHAT IS PRINCIPLE – In this topic, we will first know the definition of this term and how is this term used in sentences.

Definition

The Oxford Dictionary defines the term as the following:

a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning
a general scientific theorem or law that has numerous special applications across a wide field
a fundamental source or basis of something
a rule or belief governing one’s personal behavior

On the other hand, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines this term as the following:

a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption
a rule or code of conduct
habitual devotion to right principles
the laws or facts of nature underlying the working of an artificial device
an underlying faculty or endowment
an ingredient (such as a chemical) that exhibits or imparts a characteristic quality

Synonyms

Here are some of the following synonyms of this term:

Etymology

It is a late Middle English term of Old French origin, which is from the Latin term principium or ‘source‘.

Examples

Here are some examples of the usage this term:

The principle cujus regio ejus religio was adopted, according to which each secular ruler might choose between the old faith and the Lutheran.
The next effort of Talleyrand was to screen France under the principle of legitimacy and to prevent the scheme of partition on which several of the German statesmen were bent.
The imposition of these taxes was bitterly resented in the colonies, where it quickly crystallized public opinion round the principle of ” No taxation without representation.”
These are similar in principle to the Baird machine, the cutting agent being a flat link chain carrying a double set of chisel points, which are drawn across the coal face at the rate of about 5 ft.