Both Uses of
principle
in
Wuthering Heights
- 'If I can make any sense of your nonsense, Miss,' I said, 'it only goes to convince me that you are ignorant of the duties you undertake in marrying; or else that you are a wicked, unprincipled girl.†
Chpt 9 *unprincipled = lacking or not based on basic beliefsstandard prefix: The prefix "un-" in unprincipled means not and reverses the meaning of principled. This is the same pattern you see in words like unhappy, unknown, and unlucky.
- My heart invariably cleaved to the master's, in preference to Catherine's side: with reason I imagined, for he was kind, and trustful, and honourable; and she — she could not be called OPPOSITE, yet she seemed to allow herself such wide latitude, that I had little faith in her principles, and still less sympathy for her feelings.†
Chpt 10principles = basic rules or beliefs
Definition:
a basic rule or belief
The exact meaning of principle can depend upon its context. For example:
- "our guiding principles" -- basic moral beliefs that guide decisions and behavior
- "electromagnetic principles" -- rules describing how the world works
- "She lacks principles." -- lacks moral guidelines
- "We agree in principle." -- about important basic beliefs