primary

primary
primariness, n.
/pruy"mer ee, -meuh ree/, adj., n., pl. primaries.
adj.
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. Sociol. (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. Ornith. pertaining to any of the set of flight feathers situated on the distal segment of a bird's wing.
11. Elect. 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. Chem.
a. involving or obtained by replacement of one atom or group.
b. noting or containing a carbon atom united to no other or to only one other carbon atom in a molecule.
13. Gram.
a. (of a derivative) having a root or other unanalyzable element as the underlying form.
b. (of Latin, Greek, Sanskrit tenses) having reference to present or future time. Cf. secondary (def. 9).
n.
14. something that is first in order, rank, or importance.
15. U.S. Politics.
a. Also called primary election. a preliminary election in which voters of each party nominate candidates for office, party officers, etc. Cf. closed primary, direct primary, indirect primary, open primary.
b. 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. See primary color.
17. Ornith. a primary feather.
18. Elect. a winding in a transformer or the like that carries a current and that induces a current in secondary windings.
19. Astron.
a. a body in relation to a smaller body or smaller bodies revolving around it, as a planet in relation to its satellites.
b. the brighter of the two stars comprising a double star. Cf. companion1 (def. 6).
[1425-75; late ME (adj.) < L primarius of the first rank. See PRIME, -ARY]
Syn. 1. main, prime. 3. original; primeval. 5. beginning, opening. See elementary.
Ant. 1, 2. last. 2. final.

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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. [1913 Webster] The church of Christ, in… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • primary — pri·ma·ry 1 / prī ˌmer ē, mə rē/ adj 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 /prī mer ə lē/ adv primary 2 n pl …   Law dictionary

  • primary — primary, primal, primordial, primitive, pristine, primeval, prime mean first in some respect (as order, character, or importance). Something primary comes first in the order of development or of progression. Sometimes the term means little more… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Primary — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda «Primary» Sencillo de The Cure del álbum Faith Publicación 17 de marzo de 1981 (Reino Unido) Formato …   Wikipedia Español

  • primary — pri‧ma‧ry [ˈpraɪmri ǁ meri] adjective 1. main or most important: • Its primary business is developing and marketing new software. • The primary problem for the airlines is the recession. • It uses coal as its primary source of fuel. 2 …   Financial and business terms

  • primary — [prī′mer΄ē, prī′mə rē] adj. [ME prymary < L primarius < primus, first: see PRIME] 1. first in time or order of development; primitive; original; earliest 2. from which others are derived; fundamental; elemental; basic 3. designating colors… …   English World dictionary

  • Primary — Single par The Cure extrait de l’album Faith Face A Primary Face B Descent Sortie 17 mars 1981 Enregistrement …   Wikipédia en Français

  • primary — late 15c., of the first order, from L. primarius of the first rank, chief, principal, excellent, from primus first (see PRIME (Cf. prime) (adj.) ). Primary color is first recorded 1610s; primary school is 1802, from Fr. école primaire. The Paris… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Primary — Pri ma*ry, n.; pl. {Primaries}. 1. That which stands first in order, rank, or importance; a chief matter. [1913 Webster] 2. A primary meeting; a caucus. [1913 Webster] 3. (Zo[ o]l.) One of the large feathers on the distal joint of a bird s wing.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • primary — / prime [adj1] best, principal capital, cardinal, chief, crackerjack*, dominant, excellent, fab*, first, first class*, greatest, heavy, highest, hot*, leading, main, number one*, paramount, primo*, state of the art*, stellar, top, top of the… …   New thesaurus

  • primary — primary/secondary qualities …   Philosophy dictionary

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