- a principle.
Origin of principium
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for principia
All these discoveries were brought together in that immortal work, Newton's "Principia."Great Astronomers
R. S. Ball
Descartes' Principia and his Meditationes were written in Latin.A History of French Literature
When Newton heard of it he began the Principia, working in silence.
It was by this continuous application that the Principia was accomplished.
No sooner was the Principia put than Hooke put in his claims for priority.
- (usually plural) a principle, esp a fundamental one
C17: Latin: an origin, beginning
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for principia
"fundamental principles," plural of Latin principium "beginning, origin" (see principle (n.)). Especially as the short form of the title of Newton's book (published 1687).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper