principle in WordNet English dictionary

1. rule of personal conduct
   principle  precept 
   
2. a basic truth or law or assumption
   "the principles of democracy"
   principle 
   
3. a rule or standard especially of good behavior
   "a man of principle"; "he will not violate his principles"
   principle 
   
4. (law) an explanation of the fundamental reasons (especially an explanation of the working of some device in terms of laws of nature)
   "the rationale for capital punishment"; "the principles of internal-combustion engines"
   rationale  principle 
   
5. a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct
   "their principles of composition characterized all their works"
   principle  rule 
   
6. a rule or law concerning a natural phenomenon or the function of a complex system
   "the principle of the conservation of mass"; "the principle of jet propulsion"; "the right-hand rule for inductive fields"
   principle  rule