Princeps

//ˈprɪn.sɛps// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The title of the Roman emperor during the principate. Ancient-Rome

    "Its special characteristics were that the princeps was not governed by any law of procedure or confined to a particular place of judgment and, moreover, had complete freedom in the composition of his consilium."

  2. 2
    One who, or that which, is foremost, original, etc.
  3. 3
    The editio princeps, or first edition of a book.

Synonyms

All synonyms
first citizen

Antonyms

All antonyms
biceps

Example

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"Its special characteristics were that the princeps was not governed by any law of procedure or confined to a particular place of judgment and, moreover, had complete freedom in the composition of his consilium."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin prī̆nceps (“first, foremost”). Doublet of prince and principe.

Related phrases

editio princeps

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.