Newton used the Latin word “Axiomata” for the laws of motion in the Principia. The full heading was “Axiomata, sive Leges Motus,” meaning “Axioms, or Laws of Motion.”
The phrase appears near the beginning of *Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica*, first published in 1687. Newton then presented the three laws as Lex I, Lex II, and Lex III, followed by explanatory examples involving projectiles, rotating bodies, and collisions.
“Axiomata” is the Latin plural of *axioma*, meaning an axiom or accepted principle. It is not the complete title: “sive Leges Motus” supplies the explicit Latin phrase for “or laws of motion.” The other options are misleading because *theoremata* means theorems, while *regulae* means rules and *elementa* means elements or fundamentals.
Newton’s laws formed the foundation of classical mechanics, although later theories such as special relativity and quantum mechanics revealed limits to their range of applicability.