Etymology From Middle English prince, from Anglo-Norman prince, from Latin prīnceps (“first head”), from prīmus (“first”) + capiō (“seize, take”). Cognate with Old English fruma (“prince, ruler”). Doublet of princeps and principe. Displaced native Middle English atheling, from Old English æþeling; Middle English kinebarn, from Old English cynebearn; Middle English alder, from Old English ealdor; and Middle English drighten, from Old English dryhten.
Truely, to see our Princes all alone, sitting at their meat, beleagred round with so many talkers, whisperers, and gazing beholders, unknowne what they are or whence they come, I have often rather pittied than envied them.1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 42, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book I, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
By his last years Erasmus realized that princes like Henry VIII and François I had deceived him in their elaborate negotiations for universal peace, but his belief in the potential of princely power for good remained undimmed.2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 600:
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If Henry does not fully trust him, is it surprising? A prince is alone: in his council chamber, in his bedchamber, and finally in Hell's antechamber, stripped – as Harry Percy said – for Judgment.2009, Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall, Fourth Estate, published 2010, page 411:
Queen Elizabeth, a prince admirable above her sex.1605, M. N. [pseudonym; William Camden], Remaines of a Greater Worke, Concerning Britaine, […], London: […] G[eorge] E[ld] for Simon Waterson, →OCLC:
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Someone who is preeminent in their field; a great person.
He is a prince among men.
In some respects the intellectual is indeed closer to the philosopher than to any specialist, and the philosopher is in more than one sense a sort of prince among the intellectuals.1949, F. A. Hayek, “The Intellectuals and Socialism”, in University of Chicago Law Review, volume 16, number 3, Chicago: University of Chicago, →DOI, page 423:
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The (male) ruler or head of a principality.
He is the prince who never grew up – a one-time playboy and son of the Hollywood star Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco.2011 June 26, Angelique Chrisafis, The Guardian:
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A male member of a royal family other than the ruler; especially (in the United Kingdom) the son or grandson of the monarch.
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A non-royal high title of nobility, especially in France and the Holy Roman Empire.
Prince Louis de Broglie won the 1929 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Conspiracy theories are always enticing: one I was involved with in the 50s was about Mayerling, the 19th-century Austrian scandal involving a prince’s lover who died in dodgy circumstances in a hunting lodge.2011 October 16, Katharine Whitehorn, The Guardian:
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A type of court card used in tarot cards, the equivalent of the jack.
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The mushroom Agaricus augustus.
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Any of various nymphalid butterflies of the genus Rohana.
Etymology From Middle English prince, from Anglo-Norman prince, from Latin prīnceps (“first head”), from prīmus (“first”) + capiō (“seize, take”). Cognate with Old English fruma (“prince, ruler”). Doublet of princeps and principe. Displaced native Middle English atheling, from Old English æþeling; Middle English kinebarn, from Old English cynebearn; Middle English alder, from Old English ealdor; and Middle English drighten, from Old English dryhten.
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Often, Rare, Followed by dummy subject it To behave or act like a prince.
The Roofes of Palaces, and Nature prompts them / In ſimple and lowe things, to Prince it, much / Beyond the tricke of others.1611 April (first recorded performance), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Cymbeline”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii], page 382, column 1:
All I could remember is the chorus, and something about pumpkins turning into princesses (???!) and frogs turning into princes. I figured she meant the frog was John before she princed him.2005 March 30, abe slaney, “Question re John Lennon's Death”, in rec.music.beatles (Usenet):
Prince
noun
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The title of a prince.
Having been at the center of an international tragedy, the general public view is that the next generation—Princes William and Harry, and also Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice—have suffered enough and deserve every moment of happiness coming their way, and people are more than willing to help them celebrate their successes.2015, Fraser McAlpine, Stuff Brits Like: A Guide to What’s Great About Great Britain, Berkley, →ISBN:
Germany last year said it had foiled an attempt by another far-right group – the Reichsbuerger movement - to plot accused of plotting an attack on Germany’s parliament building, allegedly to overthrow its constitutional order and install the group’s central figure – aristocrat Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss – as leader.2023 May 24, Nadine Schmidt and Sophie Tanno, “Germany intensifies scrutiny of far-right AfD, labeling its youth wing ‘extremist’”, in CNN: