▪ I. prince, n.
(prɪns)
Also 3–6 prynce, 4 princs, pryns, prines, preins, 4–6 prins(e, 6 prynse, Sc. prence.
[a. F. prince (12th c. in Littré) = Pr. prince, ad. L. princeps, -cip-em adj., first; as n. the first or principal person, a chief, leader, sovereign, prince; f. prīm-us first, prime a. + -cip-, from capĕre, -cipĕre to take.
As applied in sense 1, it prob. came down from Roman usage under the principate and empire: see princeps, and cf. Hor. C. 1. 2. 50, Ovid P. 1. 2. 23, Tac. A. 1. 1.]
I. In primary general sense.
1. a. A sovereign ruler; a monarch, king. Now arch. or rhetorical.
| a 1225 St. Marher. 2 Of þat heðene folc patriarke ant prince. a 1225 Leg. Kath. 578 Ða onswerede þe an swiðe prudeliche, þus, to þe prude prince. c 1290 S. Eng. Leg. I. 20/32 He dude him sone bringue To þe prince of Engelond Aþelston þe kyngue. 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 811 God by-secheþ to saue þe soueraine prinse. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 375 Seculer lordis, pryncis of þe worlde. c 1400 Destr. Troy 7371 Then partid the prinsis, and the prise dukes. c 1440 York Myst. xv. 7 Preued þat a prins withouten pere. 1536 Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889) I. 498 We most umbly desyre youre grase to be oure solester to oure prynse. 1552 Bk. Com. Prayer, Communion, Prayer Ch. Mil., We beseche thee also to saue and defende all Christian Kynges, Princes, and Gouernoures. a 1555 Lyndesay Tragedy 344 Imprudent Prencis but discretioun, Hauyng in erth power Imperiall. 1607–12 Bacon Ess., Empire (Arb.) 308 Princes are like the heavenly bodyes which cause good, or evill tymes, and which have much veneration, but noe rest. 1774 Goldsm. Nat. Hist. (1776) II. 398 These animals are often sent as presents to the princes of the east. 1861 Thackeray Four Georges i. (1904) 29 In the good old times..noblemen passed from Court to Court, seeking service with one prince or another. 1885 Encycl. Brit. XIX. 738/1 The emperor of Russia, the queen of England, and the king of the Belgians are equally princes or monarchs, and the consorts of emperors or kings are princesses. |
† b. Applied to a female sovereign.
Obs.| 1560 Geste Serm. in H. G. Dugdale Life (1840) App. i. 191 Let us low our prince [Q. Eliz.],..nothing thinking sayeng or doyng that may turne to hyr dyshonor, prayeng all way for hyr long and prosperus reigne. 1562 Act 5 Eliz. c. 13 Preamble, The Reigns of the late Princes King Philip and Queen Mary. 1581 W. Stafford Exam. Compl. i. (1876) 29 Yea, the Prince,..as she hath most of yearely Reuenewes,..so should shee haue most losse by this dearth. 1594 Willobie Avisa (1880) 29 Cleopatra, prince of Nile. 1610 Holland Camden's Brit. (1637) 511 Another most mighty Prince Mary Queene of Scots. 1650 Stapylton Strada's Low C. Warres ii. 37 They had now been governed by female Princes for forty years together. |
c. In phrases and proverbs: see
quots.| 1589 Greene Spanish Masquerado Wks. (Grosart) V. 266 The iolly fellowes that once in England liued like Princes in their Abbeies and Frieries. 1660 Pepys Diary 1 Nov., We came to Sir W. Batten's, where he lives like a prince. 1804 Europ. Mag. Jan. 33/2 If I..would send..a pound of good tobacco, I should make her husband as happy as a Prince. 1868 Yates Rock Ahead iii. iii, ‘Princes and women must not be contradicted’, says the proverb. |
† 2. a. One who has the chief authority; a ruler, commander, governor, president; also, the head man, chief, or leader of a tribe:
cf. duke 1 c.
Obs. prince of priests, chief priest, high priest.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 54 Hire ueader & hire breðren, se noble princes alse heo weren, vtlawes imakede. a 1300 Cursor M. 16903 Þe prince o preistes o þair lagh went to þat monument. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xix. 218 And pryde shal be pope, prynce of holycherche. 1382 Wyclif Matt. ii. 6 Thou, Bethlem,..thou art nat the leste in the princis of Juda. 1382 ― Acts iv. 23 The princes [1388 the princis of preestis] and eldere men seiden to hem. Ibid. xviii. 8 Crispe..prince of the synagoge, bileuyde to the Lord. a 1450 Knt. de la Tour (1906) 106 Whiche Iacob hadde .xij. sones that were the princes of .xij. lynages. 1535 Coverdale Gen. xxxvi. 40 Thus are the princes of Esau called in their kynreds, places & names. 16.. in Longfellow's M. Standish App., It is incredible how many wounds these two prinses, Pecksuot and Wattawamat, received before they died. |
† b. A literal rendering of
princeps in the Vulgate (
Gr. ἀρχή) where the English Authorized and Revised Versions have ‘principality’.
Obs.
| 1382 Wyclif Ephes. vi. 12 For stryuynge is not to vs aȝens fleisch and blood, but aȝens the princes [L. principes, Gr. ἀρχαι] and potestatis, aȝens gouernours of the world of thes derknessis. [Tindale, Cranmer, etc. rule; Geneva rulers; Rheims Princes, 1611 principalities.] |
3. a. One who or that which is first or pre-eminent in a specified class or sphere; the chief, the greatest.
Cf. king n. 6.
| c 1275 Serving Christ 39 in O.E. Misc. 91 Seynte peter wes prynce and pyned is on rode. c 1315 Shoreham Poems iv. 306 Þat oþer feend of onde [envy] Hys pryns and cheuetayn. 13.. Cursor M. 28071 (Cott.), I will first at pride be-gin, Þat prince es of all oþer sin. 1484 Caxton Fables of Poge v, One named Hugh prynce of the medycyns sawe a catte whiche had two hedes. 1583 Fulke Defence x. Wks. (Parker Soc.) 381 As though you were prince of the Critici or Areopagitae. a 1658 Cleveland Elegy B. Jonson 1 Poet of Princes, Prince of Poets (we, If to Apollo, well may pray to thee). 1698 Fryer Acc. E. India & P. 373 Des Cartes, the Prince of Philosophy in this Age. 1753 Hogarth Anal. Beauty viii. 47 Sir Christopher Wren,..the prince of architects. 1799 C. Winter Let. in W. Jay Mem. (1843) 28 Mr. Toplady called him [Whitefield] the prince of preachers. 1891 Speaker 2 May 527/2 Gray is a prince of letter-writers. 1896 Westm. Gaz. 31 Jan. 2/1 The prince of Australian reptiles is the black snake. |
b. A person with power or influence; a magnate.
U.S.| 1841 J. S. Buckingham America III. 427 Capitalists and merchants [of Boston]..are here called ‘princes’. 1884 Century Mag. Sept. 796 At a shady end of the veranda, are seen the railroad king,..the bonanza mine owner, the Texas rancher, and the Pennsylvania iron prince. 1904 [see baron 2 b]. 1976 T. Gifford Cavanaugh Quest (1977) viii. 137 He was a perfect reflection of the typical Minneapolis power broker, though somewhat better dressed than the grain barons and the department store princes and computer tycoons. |
c. An admirable or generous person.
colloq. (chiefly
U.S.).
| 1911 H. B. Wright Winning of Barbara Worth xvi. 252 Yes sir, gents, I'm here to tell you that that there man, Jefferson Worth, is a prince—a prince. Let me tell you what he done for me. 1939 I. Baird Waste Heritage v. 69 Hep ain't like other guys, he's a prince. 1951 J. D. Salinger Catcher in Rye iii. 31 He's crazy about you. He told me he thinks you're a goddam prince. 1966 J. Cleary High Commissioner viii. 164 ‘You have a lot of time for him, haven't you?’ ‘They don't come any better. He's a prince, you know?’ |
4. a. Applied to Christ,
esp. in the phrase
Prince of Peace.
b. Applied to an angel or celestial being of high rank; sometimes (in
pl.)
= principality 5. (
Cf. 2 b, above.)
c. Applied to Satan in the phrases
prince of the air,
darkness,
evil,
fiends,
the world, etc.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 9317 ‘Princs o pees’ sal man him call. 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 1084 Þarfor God him [the devil] prince of þe world calles. 1382 Wyclif Isa. ix. 6 Fadir of the world to come, Prince of Pes. ― Dan. x. 13 Mychael, oon of the first princis, came in to myn help. Ibid. 21 No man is myn helper in alle these thingis, no bot Miȝhel, your prince. ― John xii. 31 Now is dom of the world, now the prince of this world schal be cast out. c 1440 Alphabet of Tales 295 So his sawle was broght vnto þe prince of Hell syttand opon þe pytt bra. 1573 L. Lloyd Marrow of Hist. (1653) 3 That..Princes should be so misguided by the Prince of the ayr. 1599 Shakes. Hen. V, iii. iii. 16 Impious Warre, Arrayed in flames like to the Prince of Fiends. 1601 ― All's Well iv. v. 44 The blacke prince sir, alias the prince of darkenesse, alias the diuell. c 1800 Coleridge Christmas Carol, Peace, Peace on Earth! the Prince of Peace is born. 1854 Faber Oratory Hymns, St. Michael, Hail, bright Archangel! Prince of Heaven! 1861 R. M. Benson Hymn, ‘Praise to God Who reigns above’, Thrones, Dominions, Princes, Powers, Marshall'd Might that never cowers. |
II. Specific uses.
5. spec. The ruler of a principality or small state actually, nominally, or originally, a feudatory of a king or emperor.
In origin,
app. a use of sense 2, describing a ruler who had no recognized title such as duke, count, etc. First used of Italian and Welsh,
subseq. of German and other rulers of petty states. The rulers of Wales, or its divisions, down to the 11th c., bore the title of ‘king’ (
brenhin,
rex); then the title sank to ‘prince’ (
tywysog,
princeps).
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 11484 Lewelin prince of walis robbede mid is route. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VIII. 187 Kyng John mariede his baast douȝter to Lewelyn prince of Wales. 1432–50 tr. Higden, Harl. Contin. (Rolls) VIII. 438 A soore batelle was hade..betwene Edward prince of Aquitanny and Henricus Bastarde occupyenge the crowne of Speyne. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. Pref., How he [Luther]..pleaded his own cause, before themperour and counsell of princes. Ibid. 54 b, The Princes that were of the confederacie and league of Sweland..were these, Cesar as Prince of Austriche [etc.]. 1617 Moryson Itin. iii. 193 Not onely the Emperour, but also many Princes of Germany..haue Kingly power in their owne Dominions, and these absolute Princes are so many in number, as a passenger in each dayes iourney, shall obserue one or two changes of Prince, Money and Religion. 1727–41 Chambers Cycl., Prince is also used for a person who is sovereign in his own territory; yet holds from some other, as his superior or lord, and pays homage or tribute to him. Thus all the princes of Germany are feudatories of the Emperor. 1845 S. Austin Ranke's Hist. Ref. I. 371 The hostility of the most able and prudent of all the princes of the empire was provoked. 1885 Encycl. Brit. XIX. 738/2 Princes regarded as the political chiefs of states are inferior to emperors and kings, and not necessarily superior to reigning grand-dukes or dukes. 1885 Whitaker's Alm. 314/2 Bulgaria. Prince, Alexander (of the House of Hesse)... The Principality of Bulgaria is under the suzerainty of Turkey. 1890 Ibid. 511/1 Waldeck. Prince, George Victor, Prince of Waldeck-Pyrmont. 1900 Ibid. 456/1 Native States of India... The States are governed by their native Princes, Ministers, or Councils, with the help and under the advice of a political officer of the Supreme Government. 1905 Ibid. 595/1 Lippe, Principality of. Reigning Prince, Charles Alexander. |
6. A male member of a royal family;
esp. in Great Britain, a son or grandson of a king or queen. Also called
prince of the blood (royal) (
blood n. 9).
Prince Consort, the husband of a reigning female sovereign being himself a prince.
In this sense originating in the title
Prince of Wales, which, in the first instance, was simply a continuation of sense 5, as title of the deposed native Welsh princes; but being, from the reign of Edward III, customarily conferred upon the eldest surviving son of the King or Queen of England, came to be associated with this relationship. The Prince of Wales was at first the only ‘prince’ in England (see
quot. 1577); but in the reign of James I ‘prince’ was extended to all the sons of the sovereign, and under Victoria (with ‘princess’) to all the grandchildren, being children of sons (
quot. 1885). After the example of England, the equivalent of ‘prince’ has been given, with some addition, to the heir-apparent to the throne in various countries, as
crown-prince in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and Japan,
prince imperial in the French Empire of 1852–70,
Prince of Asturias in Spain,
Prince of Piedmont in Italy, etc. In most of these countries the title of prince has also been given to male members of the reigning family. (This sense may have been partly influenced by Roman usage under the empire, in which the title
princeps juventutis ‘chief’ or ‘prince of the youth’, which was bestowed by the Equites upon the two grandsons of Augustus, was afterwards customarily conferred upon the probable successor to the throne on his first entry into public life.)
| c 1305 Flem. Insurr. in Pol. Songs (Camden) 194 Ȝe[f] the Prince of Walis his lyf habbe mote. 1455 E. Clere in Four C. Eng. Lett. (1880) 5 The Queen..brought my Lord Prynce [of Wales] with her. c 1475 Harl. Contin. Higden (Rolls) VIII. 433 Edwarde sonne of kynge Edwarde, prince of Wales, saylede to Caleys. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. IV 32 b, The prince his sonne..entered into the chamber and toke away the crowne. Ibid., Leuyng behind him by the lady Marie..Henry prince of Wales, Thomas duke of Clarence [etc.]. Ibid., Hen. VIII 9 On Newyeres daye, the first day of Ianuary, the Quene was deliuered of a Prince. 1563, etc. [see Black Prince]. 1577 Harrison England ii. v. (1877) i. 106 The title of prince dooth peculiarlie belong to the kings eldest sonne... The kings yoonger sonnes be but gentlemen by birth (till they haue receiued creation of higher estate, to be either visconts, earles, or dukes) and called after their names, as lord Henrie, or lord Edward. 1597 Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, iv. iv. 83 Health to my Soueraigne,..Prince Iohn, your Sonne, dothe kisse your Graces Hand. 1610 ― Temp. iii. i. 60, I am, in my condition A Prince (Miranda), I do thinke a King. 1611 ― Wint. T. iv. iii. 13, I haue seru'd Prince Florizell,..but now I am out of seruice. 1614 Selden Titles Hon. 178 After the Conquest, no speciall title more then Primogenitus filius Regis was for the Prince, vntill the name of Prince of Wales came to him. 1624 Massinger Parl. Love i. iv, Next unto the princes of the blood, The eyes of all are fixed on you. 1707 Chamberlayne Pres. St. Eng. ii. vii. 102 Prince George, Hereditary Prince of Denmark and Norway. Ibid. 103 By the Articles of Marriage, he is declared to be received as one of the Princes of the Blood-Royal of England. 1725 Watts Logic i. iv. §4 When we speak of the Prince, we intend his Royal Highness George Prince of Wales. 1839 Encycl. Brit. (ed. 7) XIX. 513/2 The husband of a queen regnant, as Prince George of Denmark was to Queen Anne, is her subject. 1885 Encycl. Brit. XIX. 738/2 In England..it was considered necessary only about a quarter of a century ago to make express provision by royal authority that the titles of ‘prince’ and ‘princess’ should be enjoyed by the children of the sons as well as by the sons and daughters of any sovereign of the United Kingdom. 1901 Daily Chron. 9 Nov. 3/1 Dukes of Cornwall, like poets, are born; but the King alone can make a Prince of Wales. |
7. a. The English rendering of a title of nobility in some foreign countries, which, in Germany (when representing
Fürst), France, Italy, Belgium, Holland, in the early 20th c. ranked next below
duke: see
quot. 1885.
| 1727–41 Chambers Cycl. s.v., The moment a pope is elected, all his relations become princes. 1819 Shelley Cenci i. iii. 2 Welcome, ye Princes and Cardinals, pillars of the church. 1831 Sir J. Sinclair Corr. II. 275 Prince Gabriel de Gagarin. This Prince held a high office at Moscow,—that of ‘Procureur de Senat’. 1885 Whitaker's Alm. 322/1 The German Empire...Chancellor, Otto, Prince Bismarck. 1885 Encycl. Brit. XIX. 739/1–2 In Germany and Austria the title of ‘prince’ is represented by ‘Prinz’ when it appertains to the members of imperial and royal families..and by ‘Fürst’ when it appertains to the members of..noble families... According to its identification with ‘Prinz’ or ‘Fürst’ it is a higher or lower dignity than ‘Herzog’ (duke). Ibid., In Spain and Portugal we are not aware that the title of ‘prince’ has ever been conferred on a subject outside of the royal family except in the well-known case of Godoy, Prince of the Peace. |
b. Applied as a title of courtesy in certain connexions to a duke, marquis, or earl.
| 1707 Chamberlayne Pres. St. Eng. iii. iii. 273 Duke...His Title is Grace; and being written unto may be Stiled, Most High, Potent and Noble Prince... Marquis... His Title is Most Noble, Most Honourable, and Potent Prince. 1851 Burke's Peerage Introd. 12 He [an earl or marquis] bears also, upon some occasions, the title of ‘Most Noble and Puissant Prince’. 1898 Whitaker's Titled Persons Introd. 10 A Duke is styled ‘Most Noble’, or more commonly ‘Your Grace’; but in very formal language he can be spoken of as ‘The Most High, Potent, and Noble Prince’. Ibid. 11 The style of a Marquess is ‘Most Honourable’, not ‘Most Noble’, though it is stated that in some formal descriptions both he and an Earl may be termed ‘Most Noble and Puissant Prince’. |
c. Prince of the (Holy Roman) Church, a title applied to a Cardinal.
| [1782 Priestley Corrupt. Chr. II. x. 251 Cardinals..have the rank of princes in the Church.] 1901 Walker & Burrow Cdl. Newman x. 145 His body was laid in state with the insignia of a Prince of the Holy Roman Church. |
III. Transferred applications.
† 8. Applied to a queen-bee.
Obs. rare—1.
| 1609 C. Butler Fem. Mon. v. (1623) N ij, I obserued once, that the Prince being scarce ready, fell downe from the stoole vnable to recouer hir wings, whereupon the swarme returned. She being put into the Hiue, the next day the swarme rose againe and setled. |
† 9. Chess.
= bishop n. 5.
Obs. rare.
| 1562 J. Rowbotham Play Cheasts A iv, The Bishoppes some name Alphins, some fooles, and some name them Princes. Ibid. A vj, Of the Bishop or Archer... The Spaniardes named him prince..for he is nerer vnto the King and the Quene then any other of the Cheastmen. |
IV. attrib. and
Comb. 10. a. appositive, ‘that is a prince’: as
prince-abbot,
prince-angel,
prince-duke,
prince-god,
prince-infanta,
prince-poet,
prince-pope,
prince-priest,
prince-primate,
prince-teacher. See also
prince-bishop, -elector,
Prince Regent.
| 1650 R. Stapylton Strada's Low C. Warres x. 19 Whether the King would allow him place, as a Prince-Infanta within the Cloth of State. 1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. Boccalini's Advts. fr. Parnass. i. lix. (1674) 76 Apollo..created him Prince-Poet, and..gave him the Royal Ensigns used to be given to Poets-Laureat. 1679 C. Nesse Antid. agst. Popery 92 That Prince-fowl of the air, the Devil. 1865 T. F. Knox tr. Life H. Suso 28 As if he were a prince-angel. 1866–7 Baring-Gould Cur. Myths Mid. Ages, Prester John (1894) 47 The papal epistle..assures the Eastern Prince-Pope that his Christian professions are worthless, unless he submits to the successor of Peter. 1897 Prince-abbot [see prince-bishop]. 1908 H. A. L. Fisher Bonapartism iii. 54 ‘Monsieur L'Abbé’, said Napoleon to Dalberg, the subservient prince-primate. |
b. simple attributive, ‘of a prince, princely’, as
prince-dish,
prince-humour; objective and
obj. genitive, etc., as
prince-killer,
prince-pleaser,
prince-queller,
† prince-treacher,
prince-worship;
prince-killing adj.; instrumental, etc., as
prince-fit,
prince-graced,
prince-loyal,
prince-protected,
prince-proud,
prince-ridden,
prince-trodden adjs.| a 1618 Sylvester Wood-man's Bear xxxvii, In the Crofte so faire and pleasant, Harbour of the *Prince-dish Pheasant. |
| 1614 ― Bethulia's Rescue iv. 197 From Powdred Tresses, from forc't Apish Graces, From *Prince-fit Pompe. |
| 1591 ― Du Bartas i. vi. 655 Through Newbery, and *Prince-grac't Aldermaston. |
| 1602 Fitzherb. Apol. 39 For manquellars and *princekillers, traytours, and homicides. |
| 1595 Polimanteia (1881) 57 A Queene..more valiant then *prince-killing Judith. |
| a 1618 Sylvester Miracle of Peace xxxiv, Th'yerst most *Prince-loyal people..Are now Prince-treachers. |
| 1589 Puttenham Eng. Poesie i. viii. (Arb.) 32 Poesie was a delicate arte, and the Poets them selues cunning *Princepleasers. |
| a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VI 135 b, The people..found out the *princequellers, and theim brought to straight prisone. a 1548 [see regicide1 1]. |
| a 1618 *Prince-treacher [see prince-loyal]. |
| 1652 Persuasive to Compliance 16 His poor *prince-trodden people. |
11. Combinations with
prince's;
prince's cord, ? a fabric resembling corduroy;
prince's mixture, a kind of snuff: see
quot. 1858;
prince's pine, (
a) the Grey Pine,
Pinus Banksiana; (
b)
= pipsissewa;
prince's stuff, a corded textile material, ?
= prince's cord. Also
Prince's feather,
metal.
| 1810 Sporting Mag. XXXVI. 240 White *Prince's-cord breeches. |
| 1836 Backwoods of Canada 124 A little rappee or *prince's mixture added by way of Sauce. 1858 Simmonds Dict. Trade, Prince's-mixture, a dark kind of snuff so called, which is scented with otto of roses. |
| 1807 F. Pursh Jrnl. Bot. Excursion (1869) 15 Pyrola umbellata calld here *Princess [sic] pine. 1818 A. Eaton Man. Bot. (ed. 2) 203 Chimaphila..umbellata, (prince's pine, bitter wintergreen). 1884 [see pipsissewa]. 1891 Lancet 3 Oct. 772/1 Liquor kava kava..composition, kava kava.., prince's pine.., golden seal.., tag alder.., and uva ursi. 1954 C. J. Hylander Macmillan Wild Flower Bk. 280 Pipsissewa... Also known as Prince's Pine, this is a trailing and somewhat woody perennial. |
| 1814 Hist. Univ. Oxford II. 261 The gown of Bachelor of Arts is made of *prince's stuff, with a full sleeve. 1825 in Hone's Every-day Bk. I. 1334 The lord mayor of London..the household now all wear black gowns,..made of prince's stuff faced with velvet. |
12. Phraseological combinations:
Prince of Wales check, a large check pattern;
Prince of Wales('s) feathers: (
a) see
feather n. 8; also
ellipt. and
fig.; (
b)
= crape-fern (
crape n. 3 b);
Prince of Wales knot (see also
quot. 1978);
Prince Rupert's drop: see
drop n. 10 h; also
fig.;
Prince Rupert's (erron. Robert's) metal = Prince's metal.
| 1958 P. Mortimer Daddy's gone a-Hunting vii. 35 A tall, thin man in *Prince of Wales check. 1959 Sunday Express 21 June 14/3 Prince of Wales check trousers. 1960 News Chron. 11 July 6/5 The Prince of Wales check Sudan cotton in grey and black. 1972 Vogue Feb. 73 Prince of Wales check wool tent coat. |
| 1882 T. H. Potts Out in Open 108 T[odea] superba, ‘the glory of the west’. How great the impression made by its marvellous beauty, may be assumed from the number of familiar names..bestowed upon it, as the Royal fern, the King's fern, *Prince of Wales' feather. 1919 T. Wright Romance of Lace Pillow ix. 82 Other patterns were the Prince of Wales's Feathers. 1933 Flight 29 June 626/2 And a final break-up in a ‘Prince of Wales Feathers’, were other manoeuvres which held the spectators literally spell⁓bound. 1944, 1951 [see crape-fern]. 1958 C. Freeman Pillow Lace in E. Midlands 46 The names given to the various patterns often refer to some element of the design... Other favourites were..Prince of Wales's Feathers [etc.]. 1966 H. Sheppard Dict. Railway Slang (ed. 2) 9 Prince of Wales, blowing off steam by engine. 1971 D. J. Smith Discovering Railwayana x. 58 Prince of Wales, short for Prince of Wales' feathers, a plume-like emission of steam. 1977 Binney & Burman Change & Decay 143/2 (caption) Lea, Wiltshire; St. Giles. Bell of 1622, with Prince of Wales feathers. 1977 R.A.F. News 22 June–5 July 1/1 The manœuvre takes the nine Gnats up into a Prince of Wales feathers, with eight aircraft trailing white smoke and the leader trailing red. |
| 1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. 222/2 Illustration No. 2205 shows the De Joinnile [necktie] as worn with an ordinary finger ring. No. 2206 shows it tied in a *Prince of Wales knot. 1971 Guardian 3 Aug. 9/3 Broad kipper ties..tied in loose Prince of Wales knots, were featured by many Paris houses. 1978 ‘K. Blake’ Professionals 1: Where Jungle Ends iii. 39 His Prince of Wales knotted tie in rich brown. |
| 1695 Lond. Gaz. No. 3121/4 The Drops known by the name of *Prince Rupert's Drops. 1849 Dana Geol. iii. (1850) 180 Nearly as brittle as a Prince Rupert's drop. 1862 Ruskin Unto this Last iv. 145 Nay, boiled bulbs they might have been—glass bulbs—Prince Rupert's drops, consummated in powder..for any end or meaning. 1878 Emerson Misc. Papers, Fort. Rep. Wks. (Bohn) III. 395 In Mr. Webster's imagination the American Union was a huge Prince Rupert's drop..which will snap into atoms if so much as the smallest end be shivered off. |
| 1698 Phil. Trans. XX. 170 The Buttons we wear..said to be made of *Prince Robert's Mettal. 1789 Chambers' Cycl. s.v. Zinc, Compositions or alloys called tombac, similor, pinchbeck, and Prince's metal... The English..called their invention Prince's metal, or Prince Rupert's metal. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech., Prince Rupert's Metal, an alloy for cheap jewelry,..composed of copper, 75; zinc 25. |
▪ II. prince, v. ?
Obs. (
prɪns)
[f. prec. n.] intr. with
it: To play the prince, carry oneself as a prince. Also
refl.| c 1590 Greene Fr. Bacon i. 103 I'll to the court, and I'll prince it out. 1611 Shakes. Cymb. iii. iii. 85 Nature prompts them In simple and lowe things, to Prince it, much Beyond the tricke of others. 1656 S. H. Gold. Law 100 Whose Principles are to Prince themselves, and precipitate al sorts. 1658 J. Harrington Pop. Govt. ii. v, A Metropolitan..with whom nothing will agree but Princeing of it in the Senat. |