A large open space in a camp

princĭpĭum, ii, n. [princeps], a beginning, commencement, origin (class.; syn.: primordia, initium).

In gen.:

origo principii nulla est: nam ex principio oriuntur omnia,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 23, 54:

quid est cujus principium aliquod sit, nihil sit extremum?

id. N. D. 1, 8, 20:

nec principium, nec finem habere,

id. Sen. 21, 78:

cujus criminis neque principium invenire, neque evolvere exitum possum,

id. Cael. 23, 56:

hic fons, hoc principium est movendi,

id. Rep. 6, 25, 27:

bellorum atque imperiorum,

id. Balb. 3, 9:

principium pontis,

Tac. A. 1, 69:

principio lucis,

at daybreak, Amm. 25, 5, 1:

in principiis dicendi,

at the commencement of a speech, Cic. de Or. 1, 26, 121;

so of a declaration in a lawsuit,

Juv. 6, 245:

suave quoddam principium dicendi,

Amm. 30, 4, 19: principia ducere ab aliquo, to derive, deduce:

omnium rerum magnarum principia a dis immortalibus ducuntur,

id. Vatin. 6, 14:

principium urbis,

id. Off. 1, 17, 54:

scribendi recte sapere est et principium et fons,

Hor. A. P. 309:

omne principium huc refer,

id. C. 3, 6, 6:

a Jove principium,

Verg. E. 3, 60:

anni,

Liv. 1, 4:

a sanguine Teucri Ducere principium,

Ov. M. 13, 705:

capessere,

to begin, Tac. A. 15, 49.—Adverb.: principio, a principio, in principio, at or in the beginning, at first:

principio... postea, etc.,

Cic. Div. 2, 35, 75:

principio generi animantium omni est a naturā tributum, ut se tueatur,

id. Off. 1, 4, 11; id. Tusc. 2, 22, 53; id. Fin. 1, 6, 17; Ter. Eun. 5, 8, 39; id. And. 3, 3, 38; Verg. A. 6, 214; Cic. Off. 3, 5, 21; so,

a principio: ac vellem a principio te audissem, etc.,

id. Att. 7, 1, 2:

dixeram a principio, de re publicā ut sileremus,

id. Brut. 42, 157:

in principio,

id. de Or. 1, 48, 210:

principio ut,

as soon as, Plaut. Merc. prol. 40; v. Ritschl ad h. l.— Rarely of the boundaries of a country or people:

adusque principia Carmanorum,

Amm. 23, 6, 74.—

In partic.

Plur., beginnings, foundations, principles, elements (class.):

bene provisa et diligenter explorata principia ponantur,

Cic. Leg. 1, 13, 37:

juris,

id. ib. 1, 6, 18:

naturae,

id. Off. 3, 12, 52;

for which: principia naturalia,

id. Fin. 3, 5, 17; cf. id. ib. 2, 11, 35:

principia rerum, ex quibus omnia constant,

first principles, elements, id. Ac. 2, 36, 117.—

Prov.: obsta principiis (cf. the French: ce n'est que le premier pas qui coute),

Ov. R. Am. 91.—

That makes a beginning, that votes first: tribus principium fuit, pro tribu Q. Fabius primus scivit, Lex Thoria, Rudorff. p. 142; Lex Appar. ap. Haubold, Moment. Leg. p. 85; Plebissc. ap. Front. Aquaed. 129:

Faucia curia fuit principium,

was the first to vote, Liv. 9, 38 fin. —

In gen., a beginner, originator, founder, ancestor ( poet.):

Graecia principium moris fuit,

Ov. F. 2, 37:

mihi Belus avorum Principium,

ancestor, progenitor, Sil. 15, 748.—Here, too, prob. belongs PRINCIPIA SACRA, Æneas and [p. 1446] his successors in Lavinium, ancestors whom the Latins and Romans honored as deities, Inscr. Orell. 2276.—

In milit. lang.: princĭpĭa, ōrum, n.

The foremost ranks, the front line of soldiers, the front or van of an army:

post principia,

behind the front, Liv. 2, 65; cf.:

hic ero post principia, inde omnibus signum dabo,

Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 11: post principia paulatim recedunt, Sisenn. ap. Non. 135, 31: deinde ipse paulatim procedere;

Marium post principia habere,

Sall. J. 50, 2:

traversis principiis, in planum deducit,

id. ib. 49, 6:

equites post principia collocat,

Liv. 3, 22; Tac. H. 2, 43. —

The staff-officers, members of the council of war (post-class.):

mittere principia,

Front. Strat. 2, 5, 30:

a principiis salutari,

Treb. Pol. Trig. Tyr. 10:

advocatis legionum principiis et turmarum,

Amm. 25, 5, 1; Cod. 12, 47, 1.—

A large open space in a camp, in which were the tents of the general, lieutenants, and tribunes, together with the standards, and where speeches were made and councils held; the general's quarters:

jura reddere in principiis,

Liv. 28, 24:

in principiis ac praetorio in unum sermones confundi,

id. 7, 12:

castrorum,

Just. 11, 6, 6:

in castris,

Varr. R. R. 3, 4, 1:

in principiis statuit tabernaculum, eoque omnes cotidie convenire (jussit), ut ibi de summis rebus consilia caperentur,

Nep. Eum. 7, 2; Suet. Oth. 1; 6; Flor. 3, 10, 12:

primores centurionum et paucos militum in principia vocat,

Tac. H. 3, 13; 1, 48; Dig. 49, 16, 12; cf. Front. Strat. 4, 1, 16.—

Precedence, preference, the first place:

principium ergo, columenque omnium rerum preti margaritae tenent,

Plin. 9, 35, 54, § 106. —

Plur., selections, selected passages:

principiorum libri circumferuntur, quia existimatur pars aliqua etiam sine ceteris esse perfecta,

Plin. Ep. 2, 5, 12.—

In partic., mastery, dominion (post-class.): archê, magisterium, magistratus, praesidatus, principium, Gloss. Philox.: in Graeco principii vocabulum, quod est archê, non tantum ordinativum, sed et potestativum capit principatum, Tert. adv. Hermog. 19.

princĭpĭum, ii, n. [princeps], a beginning, commencement, origin (class.; syn.: primordia, initium).

In gen.:

origo principii nulla est: nam ex principio oriuntur omnia,

Cic. Tusc. 1, 23, 54:

quid est cujus principium aliquod sit, nihil sit extremum?

id. N. D. 1, 8, 20:

nec principium, nec finem habere,

id. Sen. 21, 78:

cujus criminis neque principium invenire, neque evolvere exitum possum,

id. Cael. 23, 56:

hic fons, hoc principium est movendi,

id. Rep. 6, 25, 27:

bellorum atque imperiorum,

id. Balb. 3, 9:

principium pontis,

Tac. A. 1, 69:

principio lucis,

at daybreak, Amm. 25, 5, 1:

in principiis dicendi,

at the commencement of a speech, Cic. de Or. 1, 26, 121;

so of a declaration in a lawsuit,

Juv. 6, 245:

suave quoddam principium dicendi,

Amm. 30, 4, 19: principia ducere ab aliquo, to derive, deduce:

omnium rerum magnarum principia a dis immortalibus ducuntur,

id. Vatin. 6, 14:

principium urbis,

id. Off. 1, 17, 54:

scribendi recte sapere est et principium et fons,

Hor. A. P. 309:

omne principium huc refer,

id. C. 3, 6, 6:

a Jove principium,

Verg. E. 3, 60:

anni,

Liv. 1, 4:

a sanguine Teucri Ducere principium,

Ov. M. 13, 705:

capessere,

to begin, Tac. A. 15, 49.—Adverb.: principio, a principio, in principio, at or in the beginning, at first:

principio... postea, etc.,

Cic. Div. 2, 35, 75:

principio generi animantium omni est a naturā tributum, ut se tueatur,

id. Off. 1, 4, 11; id. Tusc. 2, 22, 53; id. Fin. 1, 6, 17; Ter. Eun. 5, 8, 39; id. And. 3, 3, 38; Verg. A. 6, 214; Cic. Off. 3, 5, 21; so,

a principio: ac vellem a principio te audissem, etc.,

id. Att. 7, 1, 2:

dixeram a principio, de re publicā ut sileremus,

id. Brut. 42, 157:

in principio,

id. de Or. 1, 48, 210:

principio ut,

as soon as, Plaut. Merc. prol. 40; v. Ritschl ad h. l.— Rarely of the boundaries of a country or people:

adusque principia Carmanorum,

Amm. 23, 6, 74.—

In partic.

Plur., beginnings, foundations, principles, elements (class.):

bene provisa et diligenter explorata principia ponantur,

Cic. Leg. 1, 13, 37:

juris,

id. ib. 1, 6, 18:

naturae,

id. Off. 3, 12, 52;

for which: principia naturalia,

id. Fin. 3, 5, 17; cf. id. ib. 2, 11, 35:

principia rerum, ex quibus omnia constant,

first principles, elements, id. Ac. 2, 36, 117.—

Prov.: obsta principiis (cf. the French: ce n'est que le premier pas qui coute),

Ov. R. Am. 91.—

That makes a beginning, that votes first: tribus principium fuit, pro tribu Q. Fabius primus scivit, Lex Thoria, Rudorff. p. 142; Lex Appar. ap. Haubold, Moment. Leg. p. 85; Plebissc. ap. Front. Aquaed. 129:

Faucia curia fuit principium,

was the first to vote, Liv. 9, 38 fin. —

In gen., a beginner, originator, founder, ancestor ( poet.):

Graecia principium moris fuit,

Ov. F. 2, 37:

mihi Belus avorum Principium,

ancestor, progenitor, Sil. 15, 748.—Here, too, prob. belongs PRINCIPIA SACRA, Æneas and [p. 1446] his successors in Lavinium, ancestors whom the Latins and Romans honored as deities, Inscr. Orell. 2276.—

In milit. lang.: princĭpĭa, ōrum, n.

The foremost ranks, the front line of soldiers, the front or van of an army:

post principia,

behind the front, Liv. 2, 65; cf.:

hic ero post principia, inde omnibus signum dabo,

Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 11: post principia paulatim recedunt, Sisenn. ap. Non. 135, 31: deinde ipse paulatim procedere;

Marium post principia habere,

Sall. J. 50, 2:

traversis principiis, in planum deducit,

id. ib. 49, 6:

equites post principia collocat,

Liv. 3, 22; Tac. H. 2, 43. —

The staff-officers, members of the council of war (post-class.):

mittere principia,

Front. Strat. 2, 5, 30:

a principiis salutari,

Treb. Pol. Trig. Tyr. 10:

advocatis legionum principiis et turmarum,

Amm. 25, 5, 1; Cod. 12, 47, 1.—

A large open space in a camp, in which were the tents of the general, lieutenants, and tribunes, together with the standards, and where speeches were made and councils held; the general's quarters:

jura reddere in principiis,

Liv. 28, 24:

in principiis ac praetorio in unum sermones confundi,

id. 7, 12:

castrorum,

Just. 11, 6, 6:

in castris,

Varr. R. R. 3, 4, 1:

in principiis statuit tabernaculum, eoque omnes cotidie convenire (jussit), ut ibi de summis rebus consilia caperentur,

Nep. Eum. 7, 2; Suet. Oth. 1; 6; Flor. 3, 10, 12:

primores centurionum et paucos militum in principia vocat,

Tac. H. 3, 13; 1, 48; Dig. 49, 16, 12; cf. Front. Strat. 4, 1, 16.—

Precedence, preference, the first place:

principium ergo, columenque omnium rerum preti margaritae tenent,

Plin. 9, 35, 54, § 106. —

Plur., selections, selected passages:

principiorum libri circumferuntur, quia existimatur pars aliqua etiam sine ceteris esse perfecta,

Plin. Ep. 2, 5, 12.—

In partic., mastery, dominion (post-class.): archê, magisterium, magistratus, praesidatus, principium, Gloss. Philox.: in Graeco principii vocabulum, quod est archê, non tantum ordinativum, sed et potestativum capit principatum, Tert. adv. Hermog. 19.