prince

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   The son of a king or queen, or a male member of a royal family.

   The prince waved to the crowd from the palace balcony.

2. 2
   noun

   The male ruler of a small country or state.

   He is the prince who rules the small country of Monaco.

3. 3
   noun

   An outstanding or excellent person in their field.

   He is a prince among scholars.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Prince comes from Latin princeps, “first, chief, sovereign,” formed from primus, “first,” and a form of capere, “to hold” or “take.” In English it originally denoted the ruler of a smaller state and was later extended to members of a royal family.

From Middle English prince, from Anglo-Norman prince, from Latin prīnceps (“first head”), from prīmus (“first”) + capiō (“seize, take”). Cognate with Old English fruma (“prince, ruler”). Doublet of princeps and principe. Displaced native Middle English atheling, from Old English æþeling; Middle English kinebarn, from Old English cynebearn; Middle English alder, from Old English ealdor; and Middle English drighten, from Old English dryhten.

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External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary