prī̆nceps1
Meaning
- one terminationfirst, foremost
Ita sive casu sive consilio deorum immortalium quae pars civitatis Helvetiae insignem calamitatem populo Romano intulerat, ea princeps poenam persolvit.
Thus, whether by chance or by the design of the immortal gods, that part of the Helvetian state which had brought a signal calamity upon the Roman people, was the first to pay the penalty.c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico 1.12 - one terminationchief, distinguished
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
prīmus cīvium; imperātor Rōmānus prīnceps vocātur.locus signōrum in castrīsprīmus, quī praeestChoosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Initium · Principium · Primordium
1. Initium denotes the beginning in an abstract sense, as the mere point from which a thing begins, in opp. to exitus. Cic. Rosc. Com. 13, 39. Tusc. i. 38. Brut. 34. Sen. Ep. 9. N. Q. iii. 29; whereas principium denotes the beginning as a concrete notion, as that part of the whole which stands before the other parts in things, and goes before them in actions, in opp. to extremum. Cic. Cleunt. 4. Orat. 61, 204. Cæc. 15, 44. In initium the beginning is made only with reference to time; in principium the foundation also is laid with reference to space. The initium is pushed out of the way by that which follows; the principium serves as a basis for that which follows. The initia philosophiæ are the rudiments over which the scholar goes, and which are superseded by further studies; the principia are the fundamental principles, to which he must always recur. Initio usually means “at the beginning, but differently (or, not at all) afterwards;” whereas principio means from the very beginning, and so onwards. 2. Primordium is a more solemn and comprehensive term than principium, and supposes a whole of great extent, the beginning of which is so far removed that one can distinguish a merely apparent beginning from the actual and primeval source and origin. (iii. 163.)
Primus · Princeps · Imperator · Cæsar
1. Primus is the first, so far as, in space of time, he makes his appearance first, and others follow him; princeps, so far as he acts first, and others follow his example. (v. 344.) 2. Princeps means the Roman emperor, as holder of the highest civil power, which gradually devolved to him as princeps senatus; whereas imperator, as holder of the highest military power, inasmuch as, except him and the members of his family, no one had any longer a claim to the title of imperator; lastly, Cæsar means the Roman emperor, as a member, and from the time of Galba, as a mere successor, of the imperial family and dynasty.
Primores · Principes · Proceres · Optimates
Primores and principes denote the most eminent persons in a state, as a class of the most influential and respectable citizens, in opp. to insignificant persons; primores, so far as they are so by their connections, birth, power, and credit; principes, so far as they have raised themselves by their intellect, commanding talent, and activity to take the lead in debates, to be at the head of parties, to be the first men even among the primores, and in the whole state; whereas proceres, as far as they are so from their natural position, as the nobility, in opp. to the commonalty; optimates, as a political class, as the aristocracy, in opp. to the democracy. Accius apud Non. Primores procerum provocaret nomine. (v. 346.)
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | prī̆nceps | prī̆nceps | prī̆nceps |
| genitive | prī̆ncipis | prī̆ncipis | prī̆ncipis |
| dative | prī̆ncipī | prī̆ncipī | prī̆ncipī |
| accusative | prī̆ncipem | prī̆ncipem | prī̆nceps |
| ablative | prī̆ncipe | prī̆ncipe | prī̆ncipe |
| vocative | prī̆nceps | prī̆nceps | prī̆nceps |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | prī̆ncipēs | prī̆ncipēs | prī̆ncipia |
| genitive | prī̆ncipium | prī̆ncipium | prī̆ncipium |
| dative | prī̆ncipibus | prī̆ncipibus | prī̆ncipibus |
| accusative | prī̆ncipīs prī̆ncipēs | prī̆ncipīs prī̆ncipēs | prī̆ncipia |
| ablative | prī̆ncipibus | prī̆ncipibus | prī̆ncipibus |
| vocative | prī̆ncipēs | prī̆ncipēs | prī̆ncipia |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- principes or primores
- the aristocracy (as a leading class in government).
- oratorum principem esse
- to be considered the foremost orator.
- principem civitatis esse
- to be the chief man in the state.
- elementa; initia or principia rerum
- the elements.
- principem in re publica locum obtinere
- to hold the first position in the state.
- primum or principem inter oratores locum obtinere
- to be considered the foremost orator.
- principem (primum), secundum locum dignitatis obtinere
- to occupy the first, second position in the state.
- principes rem publicam administrantes or simply principes
- statesmen.
ut quisque in fugā postremus, ita periculo princeps erat, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 34, § 90: princeps in proelium ibat, ultimus conserto proelio excedebat, Liv. 21, 4: princeps Horatius ibat, first, in front, in advance, id. 1, 26 Weissenb. ad loc.: princeps fuit ad conatum exercitus comparandi, Cic. Phil. 10, 11, 24: Firmani principes pecuniae pollicendae fuerunt, were the first to promise, id. ib. 7, 8, 23: princeps in agendo, id. Div. in Caecil. 15, 47; Caes. B. G. 7, 2: omnium nationum exterarum princeps Sicilia se ad amicitiam populi Romani applicuit, was the first that entered into friendship with the Roman people, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 1, § 2: princeps et solus bellum his indixit, Nep. Thras. 1, 5: princeps in haec verba jurat, Caes. B. C. 1, 76: ut principes talem nuntium attulisse viderentur, to be the first, id. ib. 1, 53: qui Formiarum moenia dicitur Princeps tenuisse, Hor. C. 3, 17, 7: matri Qui dederit princeps oscula, Ov. F. 2, 714: princeps turmas inducit Asilas, Verg. A. 11, 620: princeps ante omnes, first of all, id. ib. 5, 833.—Of things: quoniam exordium princeps omnium esse debet, Cic. Inv. 1, 7, 19: qualitatum aliae sunt principes, aliae ex lis ortae, original, id. Ac. 1, 7, 26: mensis Romani anni, Col. 11, 2, 3: addere principi Limo particulam, Hor. C. 1, 16, 13: dies imperii princeps, vitae supremus, Tac. A. 1, 9.—longe omnium gravitate princeps Plato, Cic. Or. 19, 62: Eudoxus in astrologiā facile princeps, id. Div. 2, 42, 87: quaedam principes feminae, certain noble ladies, Plin. 8, 32, 50, § 119: principe loco genitus, id. 37, 2, 11, § 40.—Prov.: principibus placuisse viris non ultima laus est, Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 35. —Rarely of things: gemma princeps Sardonychus, Juv. 13, 138.—princeps senatŭs, the first senator on the censor's list, the first member of the Senate, Liv. 34, 44.—quales in re publicā principes essent, talis reliquos solere esse civis, Cic. Fam. 1, 9, 12: juventutis, one of the noblest of the Roman knights, id. Vatin. 10, 24: trecenti conjuravimus principes juventutis Romanae, i. e. high-born or patrician youths, Liv. 2, 12, 15 (= proceres juventutis, id. 10, 28, 7); 42, 61, 5.—In the time of the emperors this was also a title of honor given to the prince, the heir to the empire, Tac. A. 1, 3: sacerdotum, the high-priest, Vulg. Act. 4, 6. —princeps atque architectus sceleris, Cic. Clu. 22, 60: Zeno eorum (Stoicorum) princeps non tam rerum inventor fuit, quam verborum novorum, id. Fin. 3, 2, 5: princeps Argonautarum, i. e. Jason, id. Tusc. 4, 32, 69: principes consilii publici, i. e. senatus, id. Sest. 45, 97: conjurationis, id. Cat. 1, 11, 27: eorum omnium hic dux est atque princeps, id. Har. Resp. 26, 57: regendae civitatis dux et sententiae princeps in senatu, id. de Or. 3, 17, 63: (pueri) aequalium principes, first among their playfellows, id. Fin. 5, 22, 61: gregis, i. e. of players, Suet. Calig. 58: principes sententiarum consulares, who were first asked for their opinion, Liv. 8, 21: hujus consilii principes, Caes. B. G. 2, 14: belli inferendi, first in commencing hostilities, id. ib. 5, 52: jam princeps equitum, at the head of, Juv. 4, 32.—Of ancestors: hinc Dardanus ortus Iasiusque pater, genus a quo principe nostrum, Verg. A. 3, 168 (cf., in this sense, principium, Sil. 15, 748; v. principium, II. B. 2.).—principes, qui utrique rei praeponuntur, Varr. R. R. 1, 2; Lampr. Alex. Sev. 32.—hic ames dici pater atque princeps, Hor. C. 1, 2, 50; Ov. P. 1, 2, 123; Tac. A. 1, 1: quae non faciet quod principis uxor, Juv. 6, 617; 8, 224.—octavum principem duxit, was centurion of the eighth maniple, Cic. ad Brut. 1, 8, 2.— princeps tertiae legionis, Liv. 25, 14; cf. id. 42, 34.—omnium priorum principum principiorem, si dici fas est, Cassiod. Hist. Eccl. 1, 1.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
Origins
- Proto-Indo-European*per-
- Latinprī̆nceps
Proto-Indo-European *preh₂-der. Proto-Italic *pri Proto-Indo-European *-yōs Proto-Indo-European *-(t)m̥mos Proto-Indo-European *-is(t)m̥mós Proto-Italic *-isəmos Proto-Italic *prīzmos Latin prīmus substratebor.? Proto-Indo-European *kap- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *kapyéti Proto-Italic *kapjō Archaic Latin kapiō Latin capiō Proto-Indo-European *-s Latin -s Latin -ceps Latin prīnceps Syncope of Proto-Italic *prīzmokaps. Ultimately from prīmus (“first”) + -ceps (“catcher”). Compare Old English fruma (“chief, prince, ruler”), a direct Germanic cognate of Latin primus. Compare also, typologically, Russian самоде́ржец (samodéržec, “autocrat”, literally “selfholder”).