Where does “vice-principal” come from?
vice-principal (English) comes from English principal, from Old French principal, from Latin principālis, from Latin prīncipium, from Latin prīnceps, from Latin primoceps, from Latin capiō, from Proto-Italic kapiō — to seize, grab; to seize; take up; lift; to take,...
vice-principal (English): An assistant principal or deputy headteacher
Definitions
- An assistant principal or deputy headteacher
Ancestry of “vice-principal”, step by step
vice-principal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English principal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | principal | Primary; most important; first level in... |
| 2 | Old French | principal | — |
| 3 | Latin | principālis | first, original |
| 4 | Latin | prīncipium | a beginning, an origin, a commencement |
| 5 | Latin | prīnceps | first, foremost |
| 6 | Latin | primoceps | — |
| 7 | Latin | capiō | to take, to capture, to catch, to seize, to take captive, to storm |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | kapiō | take |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | kapjō | take, seize |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂pyéti | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₂p- | to seize, grab; to seize; take up; lift; to take,... |
via English vice
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | vice | A bad habit; Any of various crimes related to... |
| 2 | Middle English | vice | A fault or imperfection; a negative quality or... |
| 3 | Old French | vice | — |
| 4 | Latin | vitium | flaw, defect, blemish, error, fault; vice; crime |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wi-tio- | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wei | guilt, vice, fault |