FROM THE LEGAL WRITING CLINIC WRITING TIP OF THE WEEK PRINCIPAL AND PRINCIPLE Principal and principle

As a noun, principal generally means main or head person, such as the principal of a school. (Some people remember this meaning using the memory device, “the principal is our pal.”) As a noun, it can also mean a capital sum of money; a perpetrator or aider and abettor to a crime; or one who employs another (an agent) to act for him. When used as an adjective, principal means “main” or “primary,” such as the principal finding in a study.