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primacy

 - 3 dictionary results

pri⋅ma⋅cy

[prahy-muh-see]
–noun, plural -cies for 2, 3.
1. the state of being first in order, rank, importance, etc.
2. Also called primateship. English Ecclesiastics. the office, rank, or dignity of a primate.
3. Roman Catholic Church. the jurisdiction of a bishop, as a patriarch, over other bishoprics, or the supreme jurisdiction of the pope as supreme bishop.

Origin:
1350–1400; ME primacie < ML prīmātia, alter. of L prīmātus (prīm(us) prime + -ātus -ate 3 ); see -y 3
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pri·ma·cy   (prī'mə-sē)   
n.   pl. pri·ma·cies
  1. The state of being first or foremost.

  2. Ecclesiastical The office, rank, or province of primate.


[Middle English primacie, from Old French, from Medieval Latin prīmātia, office of church primate, from Latin prīmās, prīmāt-, of first rank; see primate.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

primacy 
1382, from O.Fr. primacie, from M.L. primatia "office of a church primate" (1174), from L.L. primas (gen. primatis) "principal, chief, of the first rank" (see primate).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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