primacy

[ prahy-muh-see ]
See synonyms for primacy on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural pri·ma·cies for 2, 3.
  1. the state of being first in order, rank, importance, etc.

  2. Also called primateship. English Ecclesiastics. the office, rank, or dignity of a primate.

  1. Roman Catholic Church. the jurisdiction of a bishop, as a patriarch, over other bishoprics, or the supreme jurisdiction of the pope as supreme bishop.

Origin of primacy

1
1350–1400; Middle English primacie<Medieval Latin prīmātia, alteration of Latin prīmātus (prīm(us) prime + -ātus-ate3); see -y3

Words Nearby primacy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use primacy in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for primacy

primacy

/ (ˈpraɪməsɪ) /


nounplural -cies
  1. the state of being first in rank, grade, etc

  2. Christianity the office, rank, or jurisdiction of a primate or senior bishop or (in the Roman Catholic Church) the pope

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