principale

Principale is a term used in Italian and French with the meaning “main,” “principal,” or “chief.” It derives from Latin principālis and functions mainly as an adjective signaling primacy or central importance in a group, sequence, or category.

In Italian, principale is invariable in gender in the singular, with the plural form princip ali for both genders (principale → principali). It precedes the noun to indicate primacy: città principale (main city), questione principale (main issue), strada principale (main street). It appears in fixed phrases such as motivo principale (main reason) or problema principale (main problem). In some contexts, principale can also be used as a noun, il principale, to mean “the main one” or “the principal person” within a situation.

In French, principale is the feminine form of the adjective principal and agrees with feminine nouns: route principale (main road), idée principale (main idea), habitation principale (main residence), affaire principale (main issue). The masculine form principal is used with masculine nouns. In standard usage, principale is primarily an adjective; when referring to a school leader, French typically uses directeur or directrice rather than a noun form of principale.

Across both languages, the word conveys priority or centrality, and its exact form reflects the gender and number of the noun it modifies.