Word.ws English Dictionary

princeps

/ˈprɪn.sɛps/

princeps noun: the title of the Roman emperor during the principate.

Noun

princeps (plural principes)

  1. (Ancient-Rome) The title of the Roman emperor during the principate.
    • 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.1984, Karl Christ, The Romans: An Introduction to Their History and Civilisation, University of California Press, →ISBN, page 126
    Synonyms:
    First Citizen
  2. One who, or that which, is foremost, original, etc.
  3. The editio princeps, or first edition of a book.

Synonyms of princeps

Forms of princeps

pluralprincipes

Plural of princeps: principes

Origin of princeps

Borrowed from Latin prī̆nceps (“first, foremost”). Doublet of prince and principe.

Phrases with princeps

Questions about princeps

What does princeps mean?
Princeps means the title of the Roman emperor during the principate.
What part of speech is princeps?
Princeps is a noun.
How do you pronounce princeps?
Princeps is pronounced /ˈprɪn.sɛps/.
What is the plural of princeps?
The plural of princeps is principes.

Words near princeps in the dictionary

  1. princely
  2. princely state
  3. princely states
  4. princely sum
  5. princely sums
  6. princeps
  7. princes
  8. Princes Charming
  9. princes consort
  10. Princes End
  11. Princes Hill

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: princeps (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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