- Principal
- Principal Prin"ci*pal, a. [F., from L. principalis. See
{Prince}.]
1. Highest in rank, authority, character, importance, or
degree; most considerable or important; chief; main; as,
the principal officers of a Government; the principal men
of a state; the principal productions of a country; the
principal arguments in a case.
[1913 Webster]
Wisdom is the principal thing. --Prov. iv. 7. [1913 Webster]
2. Of or pertaining to a prince; princely. [A Latinism] [Obs.] --Spenser. [1913 Webster]
{Principal axis}. See {Axis of a curve}, under {Axis}.
{Principal axes of a quadric} (Geom.), three lines in which the principal planes of the solid intersect two and two, as in an ellipsoid.
{Principal challenge}. (Law) See under {Challenge}.
{Principal plane}. See {Plane of projection} (a), under {Plane}.
{Principal of a quadric} (Geom.), three planes each of which is at right angles to the other two, and bisects all chords of the quadric perpendicular to the plane, as in an ellipsoid.
{Principal point} (Persp.), the projection of the point of sight upon the plane of projection.
{Principal ray} (Persp.), the line drawn through the point of sight perpendicular to the perspective plane.
{Principal section} (Crystallog.), a plane passing through the optical axis of a crystal. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
