primitive
being the first or earliest of the kind or in existence, especially in an early age of the world: primitive forms of life.
early in the history of the world or of humankind.
characteristic of early ages or of an early state of human development: primitive toolmaking.
Anthropology. (no longer in technical use) of or relating to a preliterate or tribal people having cultural or physical similarities with their early ancestors.
unaffected or little affected by civilizing influences; uncivilized: primitive passions.
being in its earliest period; early: the primitive phase of the history of a town.
old-fashioned: primitive ideas and habits.
simple; unsophisticated: a primitive farm implement.
Linguistics.
of or relating to a form from which a word or other linguistic form is derived; not derivative; original or radical.
of or relating to a protolanguage.
of or relating to a linguistic prime.
primary, as distinguished from secondary.
Biology.
noting species, varieties, etc., only slightly evolved from early antecedent types.
of early formation and temporary, as a part that subsequently disappears.
someone or something primitive.
Fine Arts.
an artist of a preliterate culture.
a naive or unschooled artist.
an artist belonging to the early stage in the development of a style.
a work of art by a primitive artist.
Mathematics.
a geometric or algebraic form or expression from which another is derived.
a function of which the derivative is a given function.
Linguistics. the form from which a given word or other linguistic form has been derived, by either morphological or historical processes, as take in undertake.
Origin of primitive
1synonym study For primitive
Other words for primitive
Other words from primitive
- prim·i·tive·ly, adverb
- prim·i·tive·ness, prim·i·tiv·i·ty, noun
- non·prim·i·tive, adjective, noun
- non·prim·i·tive·ly, adverb
- non·prim·i·tive·ness, noun
- pre·prim·i·tive, adjective
- pseu·do·prim·i·tive, adjective
- sem·i·prim·i·tive, adjective
- un·prim·i·tive, adjective
- un·prim·i·tive·ly, adverb
- un·prim·i·tive·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for primitive
/ (ˈprɪmɪtɪv) /
of or belonging to the first or beginning; original
characteristic of an early state, esp in being crude or uncivilized: a primitive dwelling
anthropol denoting or relating to a preliterate and nonindustrial social system
biology
of, relating to, or resembling an early stage in the evolutionary development of a particular group of organisms: primitive amphibians
another word for primordial (def. 3)
showing the characteristics of primitive painters; untrained, childlike, or naive
geology pertaining to magmas that have experienced only small degrees of fractional crystallization or crystal contamination
obsolete of, relating to, or denoting rocks formed in or before the Palaeozoic era
obsolete denoting a word from which another word is derived, as for example hope, from which hopeless is derived
Protestant theol of, relating to, or associated with a minority group that breaks away from a sect, denomination, or Church in order to return to what is regarded as the original simplicity of the Gospels
a primitive person or thing
an artist whose work does not conform to traditional, academic, or avant-garde standards of Western painting, such as a painter from an African or Oceanic civilization
a painter of the pre-Renaissance era in European painting
a painter of any era whose work appears childlike or untrained: Also called (for senses 11a, 11c): naive
a work by such an artist
a word or concept from which another word or concept is derived
maths a curve, function, or other form from which another is derived
Origin of primitive
1Derived forms of primitive
- primitively, adverb
- primitiveness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for primitive
[ prĭm′ĭ-tĭv ]
Relating to an early or original stage.
Having evolved very little from an early type. Lampreys and sturgeon are primitive fishes.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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