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Primary

 - 8 dictionary results

pri⋅ma⋅ry

  [prahy-mer-ee, -muh-ree] adjective, noun, plural -ries.
Use Primary in a Sentence
–adjective
1. first or highest in rank or importance; chief; principal: his primary goals in life.
2. first in order in any series, sequence, etc.
3. first in time; earliest; primitive.
4. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of primary school: the primary grades.
5. constituting or belonging to the first stage in any process.
6. of the nature of the ultimate or simpler constituents of which something complex is made up: Animals have a few primary instincts.
7. original; not derived or subordinate; fundamental; basic.
8. immediate or direct, or not involving intermediate agency: primary perceptions.
9. Sociology. (of social values or ideals) conceived as derived from the primary group and culturally defined as being necessary to the welfare of the individual and society.
10. Ornithology. pertaining to any of the set of flight feathers situated on the distal segment of a bird's wing.
11. Electricity. noting or pertaining to the circuit, coil, winding, or current that induces current in secondary windings in an induction coil, transformer, or the like.
12. Chemistry.
a. involving or obtained by replacement of one atom or group.
b. noting or containing a carbon atom united to no other or to only one other carbon atom in a molecule.
13. Grammar.
a. (of a derivative) having a root or other unanalyzable element as the underlying form.
b. (of Latin, Greek, Sanskrit tenses) having reference to present or future time. Compare secondary (def. 9).
–noun
14. something that is first in order, rank, or importance.
15. U.S. Politics.
a. Also called primary election. a preliminary election in which voters of each party nominate candidates for office, party officers, etc. Compare closed primary, direct primary, indirect primary, open primary.
b. a meeting of the voters of a political party in an election district for nominating candidates for office, choosing delegates for a convention, etc.; caucus.
16. primary color.
17. Ornithology. a primary feather.
18. Electricity. a winding in a transformer or the like that carries a current and that induces a current in secondary windings.
19. Astronomy.
a. a body in relation to a smaller body or smaller bodies revolving around it, as a planet in relation to its satellites.
b. the brighter of the two stars comprising a double star. Compare companion 1 (def. 6).
Origin:
1425–75; late ME (adj.) < L prīmārius of the first rank. See prime, -ary

Related forms:
pri⋅ma⋅ri⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. main, prime. 3. original; primeval. 5. beginning, opening. See elementary.

Antonyms:
1, 2. last. 2. final.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Primary
pri·mar·y   (prī'měr'ē, -mə-rē)   
adj.  

  1. First or highest in rank, quality, or importance; principal.

  2. Being or standing first in a list, series, or sequence.

  3. Occurring first in time or sequence; earliest.

  4. Being or existing as the first or earliest of a kind; primitive.

  5. Geology Characteristic of or existing in a rock at the time of its formation.

  6. Serving as or being an essential component, as of a system; basic. See Synonyms at chief.

    1. Immediate; direct: a primary effect; a primary information source.

    2. Preliminary to a later stage in a continuing process: primary training.

    3. Of or relating to a primary school: the primary grades.

    4. Having a word root or other linguistic element as a basis that cannot be further analyzed or broken down. Used of the derivation of a word or word element.

    5. Referring to present or future time. Used as a collective designation for various present and future verb tenses in Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit.

    6. Relating to the replacement of one of several atoms or radicals in a compound by another atom or radical.

    7. Having a carbon atom attached solely to one other carbon atom in a molecule.

  8. Of or relating to a primary color or colors.

  9. Linguistics

    1. Having a word root or other linguistic element as a basis that cannot be further analyzed or broken down. Used of the derivation of a word or word element.

    2. Referring to present or future time. Used as a collective designation for various present and future verb tenses in Latin, Greek, and Sanskrit.

    3. Relating to the replacement of one of several atoms or radicals in a compound by another atom or radical.

    4. Having a carbon atom attached solely to one other carbon atom in a molecule.

  10. Electronics Of, relating to, or constituting an inducting current, circuit, or coil.

  11. Of, relating to, or designating the main flight feathers projecting along the outer edge of a bird's wing.

  12. Of or relating to agriculture, forestry, the industries that extract natural materials from the earth, or the products so obtained: a primary commodity.

  13. Chemistry

    1. Relating to the replacement of one of several atoms or radicals in a compound by another atom or radical.

    2. Having a carbon atom attached solely to one other carbon atom in a molecule.

  14. Botany Of, relating to, or derived from a primary meristem.

n.   pl. pri·mar·ies

    1. One that is first in time, order, or sequence.

    2. One that is first or best in degree, quality, or importance.

    3. One that is fundamental, basic, or elemental.

    4. A meeting of the registered voters of a political party for the purpose of nominating candidates and for choosing delegates to their party convention.

    5. A preliminary election in which the registered voters of a political party nominate candidates for office.

    6. A celestial body, especially a star, relative to other bodies in orbit around it.

    7. The brighter of two stars that make up a double star.

    1. A meeting of the registered voters of a political party for the purpose of nominating candidates and for choosing delegates to their party convention.

    2. A preliminary election in which the registered voters of a political party nominate candidates for office.

    3. A celestial body, especially a star, relative to other bodies in orbit around it.

    4. The brighter of two stars that make up a double star.

  3. A primary color.

  4. A primary flight feather.

  5. Electronics An inducting current, circuit, or coil.

  6. Astronomy

    1. A celestial body, especially a star, relative to other bodies in orbit around it.

    2. The brighter of two stars that make up a double star.


[Middle English, from Latin prīmārius, chief, from prīmus, first; see per1 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

primary 
1471, "of the first order," from L. primarius "of the first rank, chief, principal, excellent," from primus "first" (see prime (adj.)). Primary color is first recorded 1612; primary school is 1802, from Fr. école primaire.
"The Paris journals ... are full of a plan, brought forward by Fourcroy, for the establishment of primary schools, which is not interesting to an English reader." [London "Times," April 27, 1802]
Primary election is recorded from 1792, with ref. to France; in a U.S. context, recorded from 1835; earlier primary caucus (1821).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: pri·ma·ry
Pronunciation: 'prI-"mer-E, -m&-rE
Function: adjective
1 : of first rank, value, or importance
2 : belonging to the first group or order in successive divisions, combinations, or ramifications —pri·mar·i·ly /prI-'mer-&-lE/ adverb

Main Entry: primary
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ries
1 : CAUCUS
2 : an election in which qualified voters nominate or express a preference for a particular candidate or group of candidates for political office, choose party officials, or select delegates for a party convention
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1pri·ma·ry
Pronunciation: 'prI-"mer-E, 'prIm-(&-)rE
Function: adjective
1 a (1) : first in order of time ordevelopment (2) : relating to or being the deciduous teeth and especially the 20 deciduous teeth in the human set b (1) : arising spontaneously : IDIOPATHIC <primary purpura> (2) : being an initial tumor or site especially of cancer primary tumor have failed —Raphael Feinmesser> c : providing primary care primary physician>
2 : not derivable from othercolors, odors, or tastes
3 : belonging to the first group or order in successive divisions, combinations, or ramifications <primary nerves>
4 : of, relating to, or being the amino acid sequence in proteins <primary protein structure> —compare SECONDARY 3, TERTIARY 2c
5 : resulting from the substitution of one of two or moreatoms or groups in a molecule; especially : being or characterized by a carbon atom having a bond to only one other carbon atom

Main Entry: 2primary
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -ries
: PRIMARY COLOR
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

primary pri·mar·y (prī'měr'ē, -mə-rē)
adj.

  1. Being first or highest in importance; principal.

  2. Occurring first in time or sequence; earliest.

  3. Preliminary to a later stage of development; primordial; embryonic.

  4. Immediate; direct.

  5. Of, relating to, or being a sequence of amino acids in a protein.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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