noun
[ pl. ] the basic ideas on which a theory, system or method is based :
I think we should go back to first principles.
noun
[ pl. ] the basic ideas on which a theory, system or method is based :
I think we should go back to first principles.
Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary. Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне. 2005