primary

adjective

first or highest in rank or importance; chief; principal: his primary goals in life.

first in order in any series, sequence, etc.

first in time; earliest; primitive.

of, pertaining to, or characteristic of primary school: the primary grades.

constituting or belonging to the first stage in any process.

of the nature of the ultimate or simpler constituents of which something complex is made up: Animals have a few primary instincts.

original; not derived or subordinate; fundamental; basic.

(in scholarly studies) pertaining to or being a firsthand account, original data, etc., or based on direct knowledge, as in primary source; primary research.

immediate or direct, or not involving intermediate agency: primary perceptions.

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.

involving or obtained by replacement of one atom or group.

noting or containing a carbon atom united to no other or to only one other carbon atom in a molecule.

13.

Grammar.

(of a derivative) having a root or other unanalyzable element as the underlying form.

(of Latin, Greek, Sanskrit tenses) having reference to present or future time. Compare secondary ( def 9 ).

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noun

14.

something that is first in order, rank, or importance.

15.

U.S. politics.

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.

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 body in relation to a smaller body or smaller bodies revolving around it, as a planet in relation to its satellites.

the brighter of the two stars comprising a double star. Compare companion¹ ( def 6 ).

00:10

Primary is always a great word to know.

So is bezoar. Does it mean:

a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.

a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Origin:
1425–75; late Middle English (adj.) < Latin prīmārius of the first rank. See prime, -ary

Related forms

pri·ma·ri·ness, noun

post·pri·ma·ry, adjective

sub·pri·ma·ry, adjective

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. 2013.
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Collins

World English Dictionary

primary (ˈpraɪmərɪ)

—*adj*
1.	first in importance, degree, rank, etc
2.	first in position or time, as in a series
3.	fundamental; basic
4.	being the first stage; elementary
5.	(prenominal) of or relating to the education of children up to the age of 11
6.	(of the flight feathers of a bird's wing) growing from the manus
7.	a. being the part of an electric circuit, such as a transformer or induction coil, in which a changing current induces a current in a neighbouring circuit: a primary coil
	b. Compare secondary (of a current) flowing in such a circuit
8.	a. (of a product) consisting of a natural raw material; unmanufactured
	b. secondary Compare tertiary (of production or industry) involving the extraction or winning of such products. Agriculture, fishing, forestry, hunting, and mining are primary industries
9.	chem
	a. (of an organic compound) having a functional group attached to a carbon atom that is attached to at least two hydrogen atoms
	b. (of an amine) having only one organic group attached to the nitrogen atom; containing the group NH₂
	c. (of a salt) derived from a tribasic acid by replacement of one acidic hydrogen atom with a metal atom or electropositive group
10.	linguistics
	a. derived from a word that is not a derivation but the ultimate form itself. Lovable is a primary derivative of love
	b. Compare historic (of Latin, Greek, or Sanskrit tenses) referring to present or future time
11.	geology relating to magmas that have not experienced fractional crystallization or crystal contamination

—n , -ries
12.	a person or thing that is first in rank, occurrence, etc
13.	in the US
	a. closed primary direct primary See also open primary a preliminary election in which the voters of a state or region choose a party's convention delegates, nominees for office, etc
	b. Full name: primary election a local meeting of voters registered with one party to nominate candidates, select convention delegates, etc
14.	See primary colour
15.	any of the flight feathers growing from the manus of a bird's wing
16.	a primary coil, winding, inductance, or current in an electric circuit
17.	astronomy a celestial body around which one or more specified secondary bodies orbit: the sun is the primary of the earth

[C15: from Latin prīmārius of the first rank, principal, from prīmus first]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

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).

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

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.

American Heritage

Science Dictionary

primary

(prī'měr'ē) Pronunciation Key

Relating to a primary color.
Relating to plant tissues or growth derived from the apical meristem in the tips of roots and shoots, whose cells divide and elongate to cause the plant to grow lengthwise.
1. Relating to or having a carbon atom that is attached to only one other carbon atom in a molecule.
2. Relating to an organic molecule, such as an alcohol, in which the functional group is attached to a primary carbon. A primary alcohol, for example, has the hydroxyl (OH) group attached to the last carbon in a chain.
3. Arising first and spontaneously, as a disease, disorder, or tumor, and not as a result of a known medical condition or injury.
4. Relating to the first set of teeth that develops in humans.
1. Arising first and spontaneously, as a disease, disorder, or tumor, and not as a result of a known medical condition or injury.
2. Relating to the first set of teeth that develops in humans.
Relating to the initial medical care given by a healthcare provider to a patient, especially in a setting of ambulatory, continuous care, and sometimes followed by referral to other medical providers. Compare secondary , tertiary.

Example sentences

The primary author index encourages tracing the evolution of quotations over

time via thousands of hyperlinked footnotes.

Serve as primary student advocate at the executive level.

Scientists have identified agricultural fertilizers as a primary culprit behind

the phenomenon.

Scarlet macaws are a study in primary colors-fiery red, cadmium yellow and dark

blue.

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closed primary common school fundamental induction coil magnetic amplifier open primary

Matching Quote

"It was the feeling of a passenger on an ocean steamer whose mind will not give him rest until he has been in the engine-room and talked with the engineer. She wanted to see with her own eyes the action of primary forces; to touch with her own eyes the action of primary forces; to touch with her own hand the massive machinery of society; to measure with her own mind the capacity of the motive power. She was bent upon getting to the heart of the great American mystery of democracy and government."

-Henry Brooks Adams