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prime

 - 16 dictionary results
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prime

  [prahym] adjective, noun, verb, primed, prim⋅ing.
Use prime in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of the first importance; demanding the fullest consideration: a prime requisite.
2. of the greatest relevance or significance: a prime example.
3. of the highest eminence or rank: the prime authority on Chaucer.
4. of the greatest commercial value: prime building lots.
5. first-rate: This ale is prime!
6. (of meat, esp. of beef) noting or pertaining to the first grade or best quality: prime ribs of beef.
7. first in order of time, existence, or development; earliest; primitive.
8. basic; fundamental: the prime axioms of his philosophy.
9. Mathematics. (of any two or more numbers) having no common divisor except unity: The number 2 is prime to 9.
–noun
10. the most flourishing stage or state.
11. the time of early manhood or womanhood: the prime of youth.
12. the period or state of greatest perfection or vigor of human life: a man in his prime.
13. the choicest or best part of anything.
14. (esp. in the grading of U.S. beef) a grade, classification, or designation indicating the highest or most desirable quality.
15. the beginning or earliest stage of any period.
16. the spring of the year.
17. the first hour or period of the day, after sunrise.
18. Banking. prime rate.
19. Ecclesiastical. the second of the seven canonical hours or the service for it, originally fixed for the first hour of the day.
20. Mathematics.
a. prime number.
b. one of the equal parts into which a unit is primarily divided.
c. the mark (′) indicating such a division: a, a′.
21. Fencing. the first of eight defensive positions.
22. Music.
a. unison (def. 2).
b. (in a scale) the tonic or keynote.
23. Linguistics. any basic, indivisible unit used in linguistic analysis.
24. Metallurgy. a piece of tin plate free from visible defects.
–verb (used with object)
25. to prepare or make ready for a particular purpose or operation.
26. to supply (a firearm) with powder for communicating fire to a charge.
27. to lay a train of powder to (a charge, mine, etc.).
28. to pour or admit liquid into (a pump) to expel air and prepare for action.
29. to put fuel into (a carburetor) before starting an engine, in order to insure a sufficiently rich mixture at the start.
30. to cover (a surface) with a preparatory coat or color, as in painting.
31. to supply or equip with information, words, etc., for use: The politician was primed by his aides for the press conference.
32. to harvest the bottom leaves from (a tobacco plant).
–verb (used without object)
33. (of a boiler) to deliver or discharge steam containing an excessive amount of water.
34. to harvest the bottom leaves from a tobacco plant.
Origin:
bef. 1000; 1910–15 for def. 5; (adj.) ME (< OF prim) < L prīmus first (superl. corresponding to prior prior 1 ); (n.) in part deriv. of the adj.; in part continuing ME prim(e) first canonical hour, OE prim < L prīma (hōra) first (hour); (v.) appar. deriv. of the adj.

Related forms:
primeness, noun

Synonyms:
1. primary. 7. Prime, primeval, primitive have reference to that which is first. Prime means first in numerical order or order of development: prime meridian; prime cause. Primeval means belonging to the first or earliest ages: the primeval forest. Primitive suggests the characteristics of the origins or early stages of a development, and hence implies the simplicity of original things: primitive tribes, conditions, ornaments, customs, tools.
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prime number

 
–noun Mathematics.
a positive integer that is not divisible without remainder by any integer except itself and 1, with 1 often excluded: The integers 2, 3, 5, and 7 are prime numbers.
Also called prime.

Origin:
1585–95

prime rate

 
–noun Banking.
the minimum interest rate charged by a commercial bank on short-term business loans to large, best-rated customers or corporations.
Also called prime, prime interest rate, prime lending rate.

Origin:
1955–60
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To prime
prime   (prīm)   
adj.  

  1. First in excellence, quality, or value. See Usage Note at perfect.

  2. First in degree or rank; chief. See Synonyms at chief.

  3. First or early in time, order, or sequence; original.

  4. Of the highest U.S. government grade of meat.

  5. Mathematics Of, relating to, or being a prime number.

n.  

  1. The earliest hours of the day; dawn.

  2. The first season of the year; spring.

  3. The age of ideal physical perfection and intellectual vigor.

  4. The period or phase of ideal or peak condition. See Synonyms at bloom1.

  5. The first position of thrust and parry in fencing.

  6. A mark (') appended above and to the right of a character, especially:

    1. One used to distinguish different values of the same variable in a mathematical expression.

    2. One used to represent a unit of measurement, such as feet or minutes in latitude and longitude.

    3. The second of the seven canonical hours. No longer in liturgical use.

    4. The time appointed for this service, the first hour of the day or 6 A.M.

  7. also Prime Ecclesiastical

    1. The second of the seven canonical hours. No longer in liturgical use.

    2. The time appointed for this service, the first hour of the day or 6 A.M.

  8. Mathematics A prime number.

  9. A prime rate.

  10. See primitive.

v.   primed, prim·ing, primes

v.   tr.

  1. To make ready; prepare: guard dogs primed for attack.

  2. To prepare (a gun or mine) for firing by inserting a charge of gunpowder or a primer.

  3. To prepare for operation, as by pouring water into a pump or gasoline into a carburetor.

  4. To prepare (a surface) for painting by covering with size, primer, or an undercoat.

  5. To inform or instruct beforehand; coach.

v.   intr.
To become prepared for future action or operation.

[Middle English, first in occurrence, from Old French, feminine of prin, from Latin prīmus; see per1 in Indo-European roots. N., sense 7, from Middle English, from Old English prīm, from Late Latin prīma (hōra), first (hour), from Latin, feminine of prīmus.]
prime'ly adv., prime'ness n.
prim·i·tive   (prĭm'ĭ-tĭv)   
adj.  

  1. Not derived from something else; primary or basic.

    1. Of or relating to an earliest or original stage or state; primeval.

    2. Being little evolved from an early ancestral type.

    3. Serving as the basis for derived or inflected forms: Pick is the primitive word from which picket is derived.

    4. Being a protolanguage: primitive Germanic.

    5. Of or created by an artist without formal training; simple or naive in style.

    6. Of or relating to the work of an artist from a nonindustrial, often tribal culture, especially a culture that is characterized by a low level of economic complexity.

  3. Characterized by simplicity or crudity; unsophisticated: primitive weapons. See Synonyms at rude.

  4. Anthropology Of or relating to a nonindustrial, often tribal culture, especially one that is characterized by a low level of economic complexity: primitive societies.

  5. Linguistics

    1. Serving as the basis for derived or inflected forms: Pick is the primitive word from which picket is derived.

    2. Being a protolanguage: primitive Germanic.

    3. Of or created by an artist without formal training; simple or naive in style.

    4. Of or relating to the work of an artist from a nonindustrial, often tribal culture, especially a culture that is characterized by a low level of economic complexity.

  6. Relating or belonging to forces of nature; elemental: primitive passions.

    1. Of or created by an artist without formal training; simple or naive in style.

    2. Of or relating to the work of an artist from a nonindustrial, often tribal culture, especially a culture that is characterized by a low level of economic complexity.

  8. Of or relating to late medieval or pre-Renaissance European painters or sculptors.

  9. Biology Occurring in or characteristic of an early stage of development or evolution.

n.  

  1. Anthropology A person belonging to a nonindustrial, often tribal society, especially a society characterized by a low level of economic complexity.

  2. An unsophisticated person.

  3. One that is at a low or early stage of development.

    1. One belonging to an early stage in the development of an artistic trend, especially a painter of the pre-Renaissance period.

    2. An artist having or affecting a simple, direct, unschooled style, as of painting.

    3. A self-taught artist.

    4. A work of art created by a primitive artist.

    5. A word or word element from which another word is derived by morphological or historical processes or from which inflected forms are derived.

    6. A basic and indivisible unit of linguistic analysis. Also called prime.

  5. Linguistics

    1. A word or word element from which another word is derived by morphological or historical processes or from which inflected forms are derived.

    2. A basic and indivisible unit of linguistic analysis. Also called prime.

  6. Mathematics An algebraic or geometric expression from which another expression is derived.

  7. Computer Science A basic or fundamental unit of machine instruction or translation.


[Middle English, from Old French primitif, primitive, from Latin prīmitīvus, from prīmitus, at first, from prīmus, first; see per1 in Indo-European roots.]
prim'i·tive·ly adv., prim'i·tive·ness, prim'i·tiv'i·ty n.
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
Cultural Dictionary

prime rate

The interest rate that banks charge to corporations that are considered excellent risks.

Note: The prime rate is usually the lowest prevailing interest rate; if it rises, rates available to consumers will soon rise.

prime number

A number that cannot be divided evenly by any other number except itself and the number one; 1, 3, 5, 7, and 11 are prime numbers.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

prime  (adj.)
1399, from L. primus "first," from pre-Italic *prismos, superl. of Old L. pri "before," from PIE base *per- "beyond," *pro- "before" (see pre-). To prime a pump (c.1840) meant to pour water down the tube, which saturated the sucking mechanism and made it draw up water more readily. Arithmetical sense (prime number) is from 1570; prime meridian is from 1878; prime minister is from 1646, applied to the First Minister of State of Great Britain since 1694. Priming "first coat of paint" is from 1609. Prime time originally (1503) meant "spring time;" broadcasting sense of "peak tuning-in period" is attested from 1964.

prime  (n.)
O.E. prim "earliest canonical hour" (6 a.m.), from M.L. prima "the first service," from L. prima hora "the first hour" (of the Roman day). Meaning "most vigorous stage" first recorded 1536; specifically "springtime of human life" (often meaning ages roughly 21 to 28) is from 1592.

prime  (v.)
"to fill, charge, load" (a weapon), 1513, probably from prime (adj.) (q.v.). Primer "explosive cap" is from 1819.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

prime

  1. Of or relating to a debt security rated AAA or Aaa.

  2. See prime rate.



prime rate

A short-term interest rate quoted by a commercial bank as an indication of the rate being charged on loans to its best commercial customers. Even though banks frequently charge more and sometimes less than the quoted prime rate, it is a benchmark against which other rates are measured and often keyed. For various reasons, a rising prime rate is generally considered detrimental to security prices. Also called prime.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: prime
Function: noun
1 : PRIME RATE
2 : GENERAL CONTRACTOR

Main Entry: prime
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: primed; prim·ing
: to have priority over primes an unperfected one>

Main Entry: prime rate
Function: noun
: an interest rate formally announced by a bank to be the lowest available at a particular time to its most creditworthy customers called also prime prime interest rate
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Idioms & Phrases

prime

In addition to the idioms beginning with prime, also see past one's prime.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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