Added 9 October 2026
prince
/pɹɪns/ noun
In Latin: regulus, prīnceps Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about prince at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
Origin
From Middle English prince, from Anglo-Norman prince, from Latin prī̆nceps (“first head”), from prīmus (“first”) + capiō (“seize, take”). Cognate with Old English fruma (“prince, ruler”). Doublet of princeps and principe. Displaced English atheling (“prince”), from Middle English, from Old English æþeling (“prince”). Displaced also Middle English kinebarn (from cynebearn, literally “kinbairn”, i.e. “royal child”), alder < ealdor (“elder, leader, chief, prince, king”), and drighten < dryhten (“lord”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)