principal

adj. 主要的；资本的

n. 首长；校长；资本；当事人

中文词源

principal 主要的，最重要的，校长，院长，王公，小国君主

来自古法语principal,主要的，最重要的，来自拉丁语principalis,最重要的，来自princeps,国王，统治者，酋长，词源同prince.引申词义名词词义校长，院长等。

principal (adj.): c. 1300, "main, principal, chief, dominant, most important;" also "great, large," from Old French principal "main, most important," of persons, "princely, high-ranking" (11c.), from Latin principalis "first in importance; original, primitive," from princeps "first man, chief, leader" (see prince).
principal (n.): c. 1300, "ruler, governor;" also "main part;" from principal (adj.) or from or influenced by noun uses in Old French and Latin. From mid-14c. in the sense of "money on which interest is paid;" 1827 as "person in charge of a public school," though meaning "head of a college or hall" was in English from mid-15c.

1、prin- + cip- + -al.2、字面含义：that takes first. => first in importance, principal, chief, "main, most important," of persons.

1. The two principal combustion products are water vapor and carbon dioxide.: 两种主要的燃烧产物是水蒸气和二氧化碳。

2. City's principal marksman was Joe Harvey who scored seventeen goals.: 市队的头号射手是打进17粒进球的乔·哈维。

3. The students passed a motion of no-confidence in the college principal.: 学生们通过了对校长进行不信任投票的动议。