Phrase guide

editio princeps

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɪˌdɪʃɪoʊ ˈprɪnsɛps/

1

noun

Meaning 1

The first printed edition of a work previously only published in manuscript form.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: humanities

Topics: media, printing, publishing

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From New Latin ēditiō prīnceps (“first edition”), 1800s.

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: eerste druk — first printed edition of a work previously only published as manuscript
  • Finnish: ensipainos — first printed edition of a work previously only published as manuscript
  • French: édition originale — first printed edition of a work previously only published as manuscript
  • German: Erstdruck — first printed edition of a work previously only published as manuscript
  • Greek: πρώτη έκδοση (próti ékdosi) — first printed edition of a work previously only published as manuscript
  • Polish: editio princeps — first printed edition of a work previously only published as manuscript
  • Polish: pierwodruk — first printed edition of a work previously only published as manuscript