I. prin ‧ ci ‧ pal 1 W2 AC /ˈprɪnsəp ə l, ˈprɪnsɪp ə l/ BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin principalis , from princeps ; ⇨ ↑ prince ]
most important SYN main :
His principal reason for making the journey was to visit his family.
Teaching is her principal source of income.
the principal character in the book
⇨ ↑ principally
II. principal 2 BrE AmE noun
1 . SCHOOL [countable] American English someone who is in charge of a school SYN headteacher British English :
a small school with just three teachers and the principal
2 . UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE [countable] British English someone who is in charge of a university or college
3 . BUSINESS [countable] American English the main person in a business or organization, who can make important business decisions and is legally responsible for them:
The principal of the business has an office in New York.
4 . PERFORMER [countable] the main performer in a play or in a group of musicians, dancers etc:
She later became a principal with the Royal Ballet.
5 . MONEY [singular] technical the original amount of money that is lent to someone, not including any of the ↑ interest
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THESAURUS
▪ teacher someone who teaches as their job, especially in a school:
a high school teacher
▪ principal ( also headteacher British English ) the teacher who is in charge of a school or college:
The teacher sent him to the principal’s office.
▪ tutor someone who gives private lessons to one student or a small group of students. In Britain, a tutor is also a teacher in a university:
They hired a tutor to help him with his English.
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Your tutor will help you find a subject for your essay.
▪ lecturer someone who teaches in a university or college:
University lecturers aren’t very well paid.
▪ professor a teacher in a college or university. In Britain, a professor is a high-ranking university teacher, especially one who is head of a department:
She was professor of linguistics at Cambridge University.
▪ instructor someone who teaches a sport or a practical skill such as swimming or driving:
He works as a ski instructor in the winter.
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a driving instructor
▪ coach someone who helps a person or team improve in a sport:
a professional tennis coach
▪ educator especially American English formal someone whose job involves teaching people, or someone who is an expert on education:
Most educators agree that class sizes are still too big.
▪ trainer someone who teaches people particular skills, especially the skills they need to do a job:
a teacher trainer
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Many companies pay outside trainers to teach management skills to their staff.
▪ governess a woman who lived with a family and taught their children in past times:
As a governess, Charlotte Brontë received twenty pounds a year.