means A male member of a royal family, typically a son or grandson of a monarch and often heir to the throne.

from From Latin princeps, meaning "first, chief" — literally a blend of primus ("first") and capere ("to take"), so the one who takes first place. It traveled into English through Old French prince, keeping its sense of the foremost person. The Romans used princeps as a polite title for their emperors who pretended they weren't quite emperors; the word has been jostling for the front of the line ever since.