principio

See also: princípio, principió, principiò, and prinçìpio

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /prinˈt͡ʃi.pjo/
• Rhymes: -ipjo
• Hyphenation: prin‧cì‧pio

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin prīncipium, derived from prīncipis, princĭpis, genitive singular of prīnceps (“first”) (compare principe (“prince”) from the meaning "chief").

Noun

principio m (plural principi)

1. beginning, start, inception

   Synonym: (more common) inizio

   il principio di una azione. ― the beginning of an action.

   il principio di una nuova vita. ― the beginning of a new life.

   • 1898-1900 [1817-1832], Giacomo Leopardi, Zibaldone di pensieri [Zibaldone], volume Pensieri (miscellaneous, diary), page 76:

     * Il trecento fu il principio della nostra letteratura, […]

     * The three hundred was the beginning of our literature, […]

2. (law, citing articles of law) first part; first paragraph, first subsection

   Synonyms: (first part) prima parte, (first paragraph, first subsection) primo comma

3. (in adverbial phrases) beginning

   al principio del giorno/del secolo ― at the beginning of the day/of the century

   al principio tutto andava bene ― at the beginning everything was fine

   • 1470-1547, Pietro Bembo, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

     L’alta Cagion, che da principio diede
     A le cose create ordine e stato.

     The high Cause, which from the beginning he gave
     To things created order and status.

   • [90-110], Giovanni [John], Bibbia [Bible], volume Nuovo Testamento [New Testament] (canonical gospel), Vangelo secondo Giovanni [Gospel according to John], chapter 1, verse 1, lines 1–3:

     In principio era il Verbo,
     il Verbo era presso Dio
     e il Verbo era Dio.

     In the beginning was the Word,
     the Word was with God
     and the Word was God.

     (literally, “In the beginning was the verb,
     the verb was with god
     and the verb was god.”)

4. (concrete, in the plural) first; appetizers, antipastos, starters, hors d'oeuvre

   i principi del libro ― the first pages of the book

   • 1895 [1895], Pellegrino Artusi, La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiar bene [Zibaldone] (essay, kitchen manual), Principii, page 70, lines 1–3:

     principii o antipasto sono propriamente quelle cosette appetitose che s’imbandiscono per mangiarle o dopo la minestra, come si usa in Toscana, […] , o prima, come si pratica in altre parti d’Italia.

     starters or appetizer are properly those appetizing things that are prepared to eat them or after the soup, as used in Tuscany, […] , or before, as is practiced in other parts of Italy.

5. beginning, cause, source, reason

   Synonyms: causa, ragione

   quella vincita fu il principio della fortuna della famiglia.

   that win was the reason of family fortune.

   il malcontento ebbe principio dall’imposizione di nuove tasse.

   the discontent had beginning from the imposition of new taxes.

   • [14th century], Francesco Petrarca, Canzoniere [Il Canzoniere] (collection of poems), Donna che lieta col Principio nostro, lines 1–2:

     Donna, che lieta col Principio nostro
     ti stai, […]

     Woman, who happy with our God
     you stay, […]

     (literally, “Woman, who happy with the reason of our existence beginning
     you stay, […] ”)

   • (Can we date this quote?) [1713-1786], Gasparo Gozzi, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

     […] principio e fine di ogni cosa è Iddio, […]

     […] Beginning and end of everything is God, […]

6. (usually in the plural) principle

   principi di economia / di linguistica ― principles of economics/of linguistics

   principi giuridici ― legal principles

   i tre principi della termodinamica ― the three principles of thermodynamics

7. principle, moral norm, ethic value

   sani principi ― high principles

   informare il proprio comportamento a principi di equità/di giustizia/di correttezza

   to inform one's behavior of principles of equity/of justice/of correctness

   principi morali/religiosi ― moral/religious principles

   • 1840 [1827], Alessandro Francesco Tommaso Antonio Manzoni, I promessi sposi [The Bethroted] (historical novel), Chapter XXXV, page 675:

     Incontrava ogni tanto ministri, tanto diversi d’aspetto e di maniere e d’abito, quanto diverso e opposto era il principio che dava agli uni e agli altri una forza uguale di vivere in tali servizi: negli uni l’estinzione d’ogni senso di pietà, negli altri una pietà sovrumana.

     Occasionally he met ministers, so different in appearance and manners and habit, how different and opposite was the principle that gave to each one an equal strength to live in such services: in ones the extinction of every sense of piety, in others a superhuman piety.

   • (Can we date this quote?) [1960-], Marcello Fois, (Please provide the book title or journal name):

     tutti i princìpi più sani con i quali era cresciuto, se li stava bevendo come vinello fresco

     all the healthiest principles with which he had grown up, he was drinking them like fresh wine

Derived terms

• principiare
• principio attivo (“active principle”)
• sottoprincipio

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

principio

1. first-person singular present indicative of principiare

Latin

Noun

prīncipiō

1. dative/ablative singular of prīncipium

References

• “principio”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• principio in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Portuguese

Etymology 1

Verb

principio

1. first-person singular present indicative of principiar

Etymology 2

Noun

principio m (plural principios)

1. Obsolete spelling of princípio

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Spain) /pɾinˈθipjo/ [pɾĩn̟ˈθi.pjo]
• IPA^(key): (Latin America) /pɾinˈsipjo/ [pɾĩnˈsi.pjo]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ipjo
• Syllabification: prin‧ci‧pio

Etymology 1

From Latin principium.

Noun

principio m (plural principios)

1. beginning, start, outset, get-go

   Synonyms: comienzo, empiece, inicio

   al principio ― at the beginning, at first

   a principios del mes ― at the beginning of the month

2. cause, origin
3. principle

Derived terms

• a principio
• a principios
• al principio
• del principio al fin
• desde un principio
• en principio
• en un principio
• petición de principio
• principio activo
• principio de acuerdo
• principio de contradicción
• principio de culpabilidad
• principio de derecho
• principio de no agresión
• principio de subsidiariedad

 

Related terms

• principiante
• principiar

 

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

principio

1. first-person singular present indicative of principiar

Further reading

• “principio”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014