"princeps" meaning in English

See princeps in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈprɪn.sɛps/, /ˈprɪŋ.kɛps/ Forms: principes [plural]
Rhymes: -ɪnsɛps, -ɪŋkɛps Etymology: Borrowed from Latin prī̆nceps (“first, foremost”). Doublet of prince and principe. Etymology templates: {{bor+|en|la|prī̆nceps||first, foremost}} Borrowed from Latin prī̆nceps (“first, foremost”), {{doublet|en|prince|principe}} Doublet of prince and principe Head templates: {{en-noun|principes}} princeps (plural principes)
  1. (Ancient Rome) The title of the Roman emperor during the principate. Tags: Ancient-Rome Synonyms: First Citizen Translations (title during the principate): Prinzeps [masculine] (German)
    Sense id: en-princeps-en-noun-nnjRYOOy Categories (other): Ancient Rome, Pages with entries Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 33 15 8 35 0 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 0 1 Disambiguation of 'title during the principate': 91 3 5
  2. One who, or that which, is foremost, original, etc.
    Sense id: en-princeps-en-noun-8NKfTS8w
  3. (printing) The editio princeps, or first edition of a book.
    Sense id: en-princeps-en-noun-iZ5~31Cp Categories (other): Printing, English entries with incorrect language header, Entries with translation boxes, Pages with entries, Terms with German translations Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 28 14 58 Disambiguation of Entries with translation boxes: 12 6 82 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 33 15 8 35 0 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 0 1 Disambiguation of Terms with German translations: 22 10 68 Topics: media, printing, publishing
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: prince, principate, principicide

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "prī̆nceps",
        "4": "",
        "5": "first, foremost"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Latin prī̆nceps (“first, foremost”)",
      "name": "bor+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prince",
        "3": "principe"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of prince and principe",
      "name": "doublet"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Latin prī̆nceps (“first, foremost”). Doublet of prince and principe.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "principes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "principes"
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      "expansion": "princeps (plural principes)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "prince"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "principate"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "principicide"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Ancient Rome",
          "orig": "en:Ancient Rome",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 15 8 35 0 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 0 1",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              42,
              50
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1984, Karl Christ, The Romans: An Introduction to Their History and Civilisation, University of California Press, →ISBN, page 126:",
          "text": "Its special characteristics were that the princeps was not governed by any law of procedure or confined to a particular place of judgment and, moreover, had complete freedom in the composition of his consilium.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The title of the Roman emperor during the principate."
      ],
      "id": "en-princeps-en-noun-nnjRYOOy",
      "links": [
        [
          "Ancient Rome",
          "Ancient Rome"
        ],
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          "title",
          "title"
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        [
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        ],
        [
          "emperor",
          "emperor"
        ],
        [
          "principate",
          "principate"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Ancient Rome) The title of the Roman emperor during the principate."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "First Citizen"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Ancient-Rome"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "91 3 5",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "lang_code": "de",
          "sense": "title during the principate",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Prinzeps"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "One who, or that which, is foremost, original, etc."
      ],
      "id": "en-princeps-en-noun-8NKfTS8w",
      "links": [
        [
          "foremost",
          "foremost"
        ],
        [
          "original",
          "original"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Printing",
          "orig": "en:Printing",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "28 14 58",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "12 6 82",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 15 8 35 0 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 0 1",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "22 10 68",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The editio princeps, or first edition of a book."
      ],
      "id": "en-princeps-en-noun-iZ5~31Cp",
      "links": [
        [
          "printing",
          "printing#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "editio princeps",
          "editio princeps"
        ],
        [
          "first",
          "first"
        ],
        [
          "edition",
          "edition"
        ],
        [
          "book",
          "book"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(printing) The editio princeps, or first edition of a book."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "media",
        "printing",
        "publishing"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈprɪn.sɛps/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈprɪŋ.kɛps/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪnsɛps"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪŋkɛps"
    }
  ],
  "word": "princeps"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English doublets",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with irregular plurals",
    "English terms borrowed from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 4 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪnsɛps",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪnsɛps/2 syllables",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪŋkɛps",
    "Rhymes:English/ɪŋkɛps/2 syllables",
    "Terms with German translations"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "prī̆nceps",
        "4": "",
        "5": "first, foremost"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Latin prī̆nceps (“first, foremost”)",
      "name": "bor+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prince",
        "3": "principe"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of prince and principe",
      "name": "doublet"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Borrowed from Latin prī̆nceps (“first, foremost”). Doublet of prince and principe.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "principes",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "principes"
      },
      "expansion": "princeps (plural principes)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "prince"
    },
    {
      "word": "principate"
    },
    {
      "word": "principicide"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "en:Ancient Rome"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              42,
              50
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1984, Karl Christ, The Romans: An Introduction to Their History and Civilisation, University of California Press, →ISBN, page 126:",
          "text": "Its special characteristics were that the princeps was not governed by any law of procedure or confined to a particular place of judgment and, moreover, had complete freedom in the composition of his consilium.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The title of the Roman emperor during the principate."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Ancient Rome",
          "Ancient Rome"
        ],
        [
          "title",
          "title"
        ],
        [
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        ],
        [
          "emperor",
          "emperor"
        ],
        [
          "principate",
          "principate"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(Ancient Rome) The title of the Roman emperor during the principate."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "First Citizen"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Ancient-Rome"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "One who, or that which, is foremost, original, etc."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "foremost",
          "foremost"
        ],
        [
          "original",
          "original"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Printing"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The editio princeps, or first edition of a book."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "printing",
          "printing#Noun"
        ],
        [
          "editio princeps",
          "editio princeps"
        ],
        [
          "first",
          "first"
        ],
        [
          "edition",
          "edition"
        ],
        [
          "book",
          "book"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(printing) The editio princeps, or first edition of a book."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "media",
        "printing",
        "publishing"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈprɪn.sɛps/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈprɪŋ.kɛps/"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪnsɛps"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-ɪŋkɛps"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "lang_code": "de",
      "sense": "title during the principate",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Prinzeps"
    }
  ],
  "word": "princeps"
}

Download raw JSONL data for princeps meaning in English (2.9kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-16 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (d6fca27 and 65e1673). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.