prince (English)
Where does "prince" come from?
The word "prince" traces its roots back to the Latin term prīnceps, which literally translates to "first head" or "one who takes the first place." This term was formed by combining prīmus, meaning "first," with capiō, meaning "to seize or take." As it passed from Latin through Anglo-Norman into Middle English, it eventually displaced several older, native English titles to become our modern word for a royal ruler or a person of great preeminence.
Full etymology tree
- prince (English), 'A (male) ruler, a sovereign; a king, monarch.'
- inherited prince (Middle English)
- borrowed prince (Anglo-Norman)
- learned borrowing prīnceps (Latin), 'first, foremost'
- compound prīmus (Latin), 'first, early'
- inherited prīsmos (Latin)
- inherited *priisemos (Proto-Italic)
- derived *pri (Proto-Italic)
- inherited *préy (Proto-Indo-European), 'before, in front'
- inherited *per- (Proto-Indo-European), 'before, in front'
- inherited *préy (Proto-Indo-European), 'before, in front'
- derived *pri (Proto-Italic)
- inherited *priisemos (Proto-Italic)
- inherited prīsmos (Latin)
- compound capiō (Latin), 'to take, to capture, to catch, to seize, to take captive, to storm'
- inherited *kapjō (Proto-Italic), 'to take, seize'
- inherited *kapyéti (Proto-Indo-European), 'to be grasping'
- derived *kap- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to seize, to grab'
- inherited *kapyéti (Proto-Indo-European), 'to be grasping'
- inherited *kapjō (Proto-Italic), 'to take, seize'
- compound prīmus (Latin), 'first, early'
- learned borrowing prīnceps (Latin), 'first, foremost'
- borrowed prince (Anglo-Norman)
- inherited prince (Middle English)
Direct ancestors
- princeps (Latin)
- primus (Latin)
- capio (Latin)
- fruma (Old English)
- princeps (English)
- principe (English)
- æþeling (Old English)
- cynebearn (Old English)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris