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primordial

 - 5 dictionary results

pri⋅mor⋅di⋅al

  [prahy-mawr-dee-uhl]
–adjective
1. constituting a beginning; giving origin to something derived or developed; original; elementary: primordial forms of life.
2. Embryology. first formed.
3. pertaining to or existing at or from the very beginning: primordial matter.
Use primordial in a Sentence
Origin:
1350–1400; ME < LL prīmōrdiālis of the beginning. See primordium, -al 1

Related forms:
pri⋅mor⋅di⋅al⋅i⋅ty  [prahy-mawr-dee-al-i-tee] , noun
pri⋅mor⋅di⋅al⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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pri·mor·di·al   (prī-môr'dē-əl)   
adj.  

  1. Being or happening first in sequence of time; original.

  2. Primary or fundamental: play a primordial role.

  3. Biology Belonging to or characteristic of the earliest stage of development of an organism or a part: primordial cells.

n.  A basic principle.

[Middle English, from Late Latin prīmōrdiālis, from Latin prīmōrdium, origin : prīmus, first; see per1 in Indo-European roots + ōrdīrī, to begin to weave; see ar- in Indo-European roots.]
pri·mor'di·al·ly adv.
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

primordial 
1398, from L.L. primordialis "first of all, original," from L. primordium "the beginning," from primus "first" (see prime (adj.)) + stem of ordiri "to begin" (see order).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: pri·mor·di·al
Pronunciation: prI-'mord-E-&l
Function: adjective
: earliest formed in the growth of an individual ororgan : PRIMITIVE primordial skeleton>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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primordial pri·mor·di·al (prī-môr'dē-əl)
adj.

  1. Being or happening first in sequence of time; primary; original.

  2. Belonging to or characteristic of the earliest stage of development of an organism or a part.

  3. Relating to a primordium.

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