Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A territory ruled by a prince or princess or from which such a title is derived.
- noun The position, authority, or jurisdiction of a prince or princess; sovereignty.
- noun Christianity The seventh of the nine orders of angels in medieval angelology.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The state or condition of being principal or superior; priority or privilege; prerogative; predominance; preëminence.
- noun The authority of a prince; sovereignty; supreme power.
- noun The territory of a prince, or the country which gives title to a prince: as, the principality of Wales; the principality of Montenegro.
- noun A prince; one invested with sovereignty.
- noun plural An order of angels. It was the seventh order in the celestial hierarchy of Dionysius. See
hierarchy .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Sovereignty; supreme power; hence, superiority; predominance; high, or the highest, station.
- noun A prince; one invested with sovereignty.
- noun The territory or jurisdiction of a prince; or the country which gives title to a prince.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun territory ruled by a prince
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word principality.
Examples
-
Highness to rule save a tract so small that the word principality will be a travesty and a jest.
Graustark George Barr McCutcheon 1897
-
106 † Antioch, 107 whose situation had been less exposed to the calamities of the holy war, was finally occupied and ruined by Bondocdar, or Bibars, sultan of Egypt and Syria; the Latin principality was extinguished; and the first seat of the Christian name was dispeopled by the slaughter of seventeen, and the captivity of one hundred, thousand of her inhabitants.
The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire 1206
-
Silver is described as a principality (or series of principalities?), so is it logical that our intrepid heroes can ride through one "district" in a day?
Now available in one document! xcpublishing 2009
-
The principality is the latest European tax haven to bend to an international outcry over tax evasion.
-
Among the notable constructions of the principality are the ancient fortifications, the old ducal palace which contains beautiful frescoes by Annibale Carracci, Orazio Ferrari, and Carlone, the cathedral, built (1884-87) in the Byzantine style, by Prince Albert
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 10: Mass Music-Newman 1840-1916 1913
-
Twenty-five by one hundred fifty miles, and yet called a principality!
Graustark George Barr McCutcheon 1897
-
One prince, a member of the late ruling family, held possession of Szchuen, which was called the principality of Chow.
China Demetrius Charles Boulger 1890
-
Napoleonic fashion, into the so-called principality of Wagram.
A Little Tour of France Henry James 1879
-
The constitutional principality, which is roughly the size of New York City's Central Park is home to the world famous Monte Carlo Casino, 13th-century Prince's Palace, F1 Grand Prix and superb shops and dining.
Thestar.com - Home Page Lorianna De Giorgio 2011
-
It is certainly true that when the US or the UK, for example, level accusations that the principality is a 'tax haven' there is an element of hypocrisy, with the large imposing standards on the small that they themselves fail to match.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.