Phrase guide

principal part

noun · 7 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.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of the forms of a word which contain its stem(s) in the simplest form, or such a form that, when taken with all the other principal parts (showing various inflections), allows the entire paradigm to be derived.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: plural-normally

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

Examples

  • Holonyms: declension, conjugation

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Any one of however many parts of speech regarded as the most fundamental or indispensable.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, plural-normally

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

Examples

  • Holonym: part of speech

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Any one of however many parts of speech regarded as the most fundamental or indispensable.

The noun, verb, or adverb.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, plural-normally, rare

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

Any one of however many parts of speech regarded as the most fundamental or indispensable.

The noun or the verb.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, plural-normally

Topics: grammar, human-sciences, linguistics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A polynomial approximation of a power series, made up of monomials whose indices lie in the Newton diagram of the power series and which occur with the same coefficients as in the original power series.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematical-analysis, mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

The portion of a Laurent series that has negative exponents.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematical-analysis, mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see principal, part.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Calque of Late Latin principālis pars

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: stamtijd — grammar: word-form containing the simplest form of a stem
  • German: Stammform — grammar: word-form containing the simplest form of a stem
  • Hungarian: lemma — grammar: word-form containing the simplest form of a stem
  • Hungarian: címszó — grammar: word-form containing the simplest form of a stem
  • Hungarian: szótári alak — grammar: word-form containing the simplest form of a stem
  • Icelandic: kennimynd — grammar: word-form containing the simplest form of a stem
  • Latin: praecipua pars — grammar: word-form containing the simplest form of a stem
  • Lithuanian: pagrindinė forma — grammar: word-form containing the simplest form of a stem
  • Polish: lemma — grammar: word-form containing the simplest form of a stem
  • Polish: lemat — grammar: word-form containing the simplest form of a stem
  • Polish: hasło — grammar: word-form containing the simplest form of a stem
  • Polish: forma słownikowa — grammar: word-form containing the simplest form of a stem
  • Polish: forma hasłowa — grammar: word-form containing the simplest form of a stem
  • Swedish: tema — grammar: word-form containing the simplest form of a stem
  • Hungarian: szófaj — grammar, obsolete: fundamental part of speech — see also part of speech
  • Latin: prīncipālis pars — grammar, obsolete: fundamental part of speech — see also part of speech
  • Polish: część mowy — grammar, obsolete: fundamental part of speech — see also part of speech
  • Hungarian: főrész — mathematics: polynomial approximation of a power series
  • Polish: część główna — mathematics: polynomial approximation of a power series
  • Hungarian: főrész — mathematics: portion of a Laurent series that has negative exponents
  • Polish: część główna — mathematics: portion of a Laurent series that has negative exponents