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principal ~ principle

[‘principal’ rhymes with ‘principle’]

“Principal”, as an adjective, means ‘chief, main; of high rank’; as a noun, it is ‘the title of the head of an educational institution such as a college or school; the sum of money lent or borrowed in a business’,

e.g.

The principal food in some parts of the world is wheat.  [= main food -- adjective]

The new principal has such a pleasing personality that every student in our school likes him very much.  [= head of the school -- noun]

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“Principle” (noun) is ‘a general truth or law of nature that causes effect or that is used as a base; the rule or belief used by a person in conducting himself; a law of nature discovered’,

e.g.

A ship builder must be thorough with all the principles of navigation.

My teacher lives by the principles set by himself; you can’t make him tell a lie, even for fun!

Every student at school level is taught Archimedes’ Principle:  “The buoyant force of a body is equal to the weight of the water displaced by it.”

 

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