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principaal

Principiaal is a word used in Dutch and Afrikaans to denote the principal or chief person of an organization, most commonly the head of a school. As a noun it refers to the person in charge, while as an adjective it can mean main or principal, though this adjectival use is less frequent in everyday speech.

Originates from Latin principalis and is related to words meaning first or foremost. The form was adopted

Usage notes: In contemporary Dutch, the head of a school is usually called directeur or schoolleider, and

See also: principal; headmaster; school principal; directeur; schoolleider.

into
Dutch
and
Afrikaans
via
historical
contact
with
Romance
languages,
and
shares
cognates
with
the
English
"principal"
and
other
Romance-derived
terms.
principaal
is
more
likely
encountered
in
older
texts
or
regional
usage.
In
Afrikaans,
principaal
remains
a
common
term
for
the
school
head.
The
term
can
also
appear
in
formal
titles
or
legal
language
to
indicate
principal
or
chief
person
within
an
organization.