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Definition of primary - 11 dictionary results
pri⋅ma⋅ry
[prahy-mer-ee, -muh-ree]
adjective, noun, plural -ries.–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.
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| 13. | Grammar.
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–noun
| 14. | something that is first in order, rank, or importance. |
| 15. | U.S. Politics.
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| 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.
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Related forms:
pri⋅ma⋅ri⋅ness, noun
Antonyms:
1, 2. last. 2. final.
1, 2. last. 2. final.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To primary
pri·mar·y (prī'měr'ē, -mə-rē) adj.
[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.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Primary
Pri"ma*ry\, a. [L. primarius, fr. primus first: cf. F. primaire. See Prime, a., and cf. Premier, Primero.]1. First in order of time or development or in intention; primitive; fundamental; original. The church of Christ, in its primary institution. --Bp. Pearson. These I call original, or primary, qualities of body. --Locke. 2. First in order, as being preparatory to something higher; as, primary assemblies; primary schools. 3. First in dignity or importance; chief; principal; as, primary planets; a matter of primary importance. 4. (Geol.) Earliest formed; fundamental. 5. (Chem.) Illustrating, possessing, or characterized by, some quality or property in the first degree; having undergone the first stage of substitution or replacement. Primary alcohol (Organic Chem.), any alcohol which possess the group CH2.OH, and can be oxidized so as to form a corresponding aldehyde and acid having the same number of carbon atoms; -- distinguished from secondary & tertiary alcohols. Primary amine (Chem.), an amine containing the amido group, or a derivative of ammonia in which only one atom of hydrogen has been replaced by a basic radical; -- distinguished from secondary & tertiary amines. Primary amputation (Surg.), an amputation for injury performed as soon as the shock due to the injury has passed away, and before symptoms of inflammation supervene. Primary axis (Bot.), the main stalk which bears a whole cluster of flowers. Primary colors. See under Color. Primary meeting, a meeting of citizens at which the first steps are taken towards the nomination of candidates, etc. See Caucus. Primary pinna (Bot.), one of those portions of a compound leaf or frond which branch off directly from the main rhachis or stem, whether simple or compounded. Primary planets. (Astron.) See the Note under Planet. Primary qualities of bodies, such are essential to and inseparable from them. Primary quills (Zo["o]l.), the largest feathers of the wing of a bird; primaries. Primary rocks (Geol.), a term early used for rocks supposed to have been first formed, being crystalline and containing no organic remains, as granite, gneiss, etc.; -- called also primitive rocks. The terms Secondary, Tertiary, and Quaternary rocks have also been used in like manner, but of these the last two only are now in use. Primary salt (Chem.), a salt derived from a polybasic acid in which only one acid hydrogen atom has been replaced by a base or basic radical. Primary syphilis (Med.), the initial stage of syphilis, including the period from the development of the original lesion or chancre to the first manifestation of symptoms indicative of general constitutional infection. Primary union (Surg.), union without suppuration; union by the first intention.Primary
Pri"ma*ry\, n.; pl. Primaries. 1. That which stands first in order, rank, or importance; a chief matter. 2. A primary meeting; a caucus. 3. (Zo["o]l.) One of the large feathers on the distal joint of a bird's wing. See Plumage, and Illust. of Bird. 4. (Astron.) A primary planet; the brighter component of a double star. See under Planet.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : primary
Spanish:
principal,
German:
wichtigst,
Japanese:
第一の
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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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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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 :
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
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
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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primary pri·mar·y (prī'měr'ē, -mə-rē)
adj.
- Being first or highest in importance; principal.
- Occurring first in time or sequence; earliest.
- Preliminary to a later stage of development; primordial; embryonic.
- Immediate; direct.
- 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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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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primary (prī'měr'ē) Pronunciation Key
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.


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