primary

[ prahy-mer-ee, -muh-ree ]

/ ˈpraɪ mɛr i, -mə ri /

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adjective

first or highest in rank or importance; chief; principal: his primary goals in life.

first in order in any series, sequence, etc.

first in time; earliest; primitive.

of, relating to, or characteristic of primary school: the primary grades.

constituting or belonging to the first stage in any process.

of the nature of the ultimate or simpler constituents of which something complex is made up: Animals have a few primary instincts.

original; not derived or subordinate; fundamental; basic.
(in scholarly studies) pertaining to or being a firsthand account, original data, etc., or based on direct knowledge, as in primary source; primary research.

immediate or direct, or not involving intermediate agency: primary perceptions.

Sociology. (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.

Ornithology. pertaining to any of the set of flight feathers situated on the distal segment of a bird's wing.

Electricity. noting or pertaining to the circuit, coil, winding, or current that induces current in secondary windings in an induction coil, transformer, or the like.

Chemistry.

involving or obtained by replacement of one atom or group.
noting or containing a carbon atom united to no other or to only one other carbon atom in a molecule.

Grammar.

(of a derivative) having a root or other unanalyzable element as the underlying form: The word "dole" is a primary derivative formed by modification of "deal," and "phonograph" is a primary derivative from "phono-" and "-graph."
(of Latin, Greek, Sanskrit tenses) having reference to present or future time.Compare secondary(def 9).

noun, plural pri·ma·ries.

something that is first in order, rank, or importance.

U.S. Politics.

Also called primary election. a preliminary election in which voters of each party nominate candidates for office, party officers, etc.Compare closed primary, direct primary, indirect primary, open primary.
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.

primary color.

Ornithology. a primary feather.

Electricity. a winding in a transformer or the like that carries a current and that induces a current in secondary windings.

Astronomy.

a body in relation to a smaller body or smaller bodies revolving around it, as a planet in relation to its satellites.
the brighter of the two stars comprising a double star.Compare companion¹(def 6).

verb (used with object), pri·ma·ried, pri·ma·ry·ing.

U.S. Politics. to challenge or oppose (the incumbent) in a primary election, usually for strong ideological reasons (often used in passive constructions): The congressman was primaried by a more conservative candidate.

verb (used without object), pri·ma·ried, pri·ma·ry·ing.

U.S. Politics. to run as a candidate in a primary election.

Nearby words

primal scream, primal therapy, primaquine, primaries, primarily, primary, primary accent, primary adhesion, primary adrenocortical insufficiency, primary alcohol, primary aldosteronism

Origin of primary

1425–75; late Middle English (adj.) < Latin prīmārius of the first rank. See prime, -ary

SYNONYMS FOR primary

1 main, prime.

3 original; primeval.

5 beginning, opening.

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ANTONYMS FOR primary

1, 2 last.

2 final.

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Related forms

pri·ma·ri·ness, nounpost·pri·ma·ry, adjectivesub·pri·ma·ry, adjective

Synonym study

5. See elementary.

Word story

The English adjective primary is a direct borrowing from the Latin adjective prīmārius “very important, leading, chief, excellent, first-rate.” Prīmārius is a pretty obvious derivation of prīmus “leading, foremost, furthest out, extreme, earliest, first” and the adjective and noun suffix -ārius, the ultimate source of the English suffix -ary. Prīmus is formed from the Proto-Indo-European root per, which has many modifications and extensions, and whose fundamental meaning “forward, in front, through” is the base of many adverbs, prefixes, and prepositions. Variants of the root per appear in the Latin prefix, adverb, and preposition prae-, prae “in front, ahead” (adopted as pre- in English) and prō-, prō, implying forward motion, making an opening, priority in time or importance (source of English pro- ). Variants of per appear in Greek prōtos “first” (as in English protein and proton ) and in Germanic (Old English) forma, formest, forth, furthra, fyrst (English former, foremost, forth, further, first ).

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for primaries

They excite people, and primaries tend to be dominated by voters who are the most excited.
The Devil in Mike Huckabee|Dean Obeidallah|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And that debate during the 1992 primaries worked out pretty well for the nominee.
Want President Hillary? Then Primary Her|Jeff Greenfield|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nine incumbents lost in the general election, while three lost in their primaries.
Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: November 2|PunditFact.com|November 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the video game tradition dates back at least to the 2004 Democratic primaries.
The GOP's Weird Anti-Dem Video Game, Starring a Frat-Boy Elephant|Asawin Suebsaeng|August 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Both of the statewide candidates that he backed in his home state won their primaries handily.
Martin O’Malley Looks Stronger For 2016|Ben Jacobs|June 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Seven o'clock, and the girls were leaving the primaries in twos and threes, tired but excitedly discussing the situation.
How To Write Special Feature Articles|Willard Grosvenor Bleyer
Primaries eleven; fifth secondary wanting; after shaft to contour feathers present.
British Birds in their Haunts|Rev. C. A. Johns
The fact leads me to suspect that I am wrong, after all in this matter of the primaries.
Jokes For All Occasions|Anonymous
Each of these is composed of, or can be resolved into, two primaries.
Field's Chromatography|George Field
On the under side the wings are bright pale yellow, with the inner margin of the primaries clouded with brown.
The Butterfly Book|William Jacob Holland

British Dictionary definitions for primaries

primary

/ (ˈpraɪmərɪ) /

adjective

first in importance, degree, rank, etc

first in position or time, as in a series

fundamental; basic

being the first stage; elementary

(prenominal) of or relating to the education of children up to the age of 11

(of the flight feathers of a bird's wing) growing from the manus

being the part of an electric circuit, such as a transformer or induction coil, in which a changing current induces a current in a neighbouring circuita primary coil
(of a current) flowing in such a circuitCompare secondary

(of a product) consisting of a natural raw material; unmanufactured
(of production or industry) involving the extraction or winning of such products. Agriculture, fishing, forestry, hunting, and mining are primary industriesCompare secondary (def. 7), tertiary (def. 3)

chem

(of an organic compound) having a functional group attached to a carbon atom that is attached to at least two hydrogen atoms
(of an amine) having only one organic group attached to the nitrogen atom; containing the group NH 2
(of a salt) derived from a tribasic acid by replacement of one acidic hydrogen atom with a metal atom or electropositive group

linguistics

derived from a word that is not a derivation but the ultimate form itself. Lovable is a primary derivative of love
(of Latin, Greek, or Sanskrit tenses) referring to present or future timeCompare historic (def. 3)

geology relating to magmas that have not experienced fractional crystallization or crystal contamination

noun plural -ries

a person or thing that is first in rank, occurrence, etc

(in the US)

a preliminary election in which the voters of a state or region choose a party's convention delegates, nominees for office, etcSee also closed primary, direct primary, open primary
a local meeting of voters registered with one party to nominate candidates, select convention delegates, etc

Full name: primary election

See primary colour

any of the flight feathers growing from the manus of a bird's wing

a primary coil, winding, inductance, or current in an electric circuit

astronomy a celestial body around which one or more specified secondary bodies orbitthe sun is the primary of the earth

Word Origin for primary

C15: from Latin prīmārius of the first rank, principal, from prīmus first

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

Medicine definitions for primaries

primary

[ prī′mĕr′ē, -mə-rē ]

adj.

Being first or highest in importance; principal.

Occurring first in time or sequence; earliest.

Preliminary to a later stage of development; primordial; embryonic.

Immediate; direct.

Of, relating to, or being a sequence of amino acids in a protein.

Science definitions for primaries

primary

[ prī′mĕr′ē ]

Relating to a primary color.

Relating to plant tissues or growth derived from the apical meristem in the tips of roots and shoots, whose cells divide and elongate to cause the plant to grow lengthwise.

Relating to or having a carbon atom that is attached to only one other carbon atom in a molecule.
Relating to an organic molecule, such as an alcohol, in which the functional group is attached to a primary carbon. A primary alcohol, for example, has the hydroxyl (OH) group attached to the last carbon in a chain.

Arising first and spontaneously, as a disease, disorder, or tumor, and not as a result of a known medical condition or injury.
Relating to the first set of teeth that develops in humans.

Relating to the initial medical care given by a healthcare provider to a patient, especially in a setting of ambulatory, continuous care, and sometimes followed by referral to other medical providers. Compare secondary tertiary.

Culture definitions for primaries

primaries

State elections of delegates to the nominating convention that chooses a major party's presidential candidate. In some states, delegates are elected by popular vote; in other states, party caucuses or miniconventions choose delegates.

Note

Primaries occur at different times during the presidential election year, a situation that drags out the process by which parties nominate candidates but allows wide public exposure to candidates and issues.

primary

adjective

noun, plural pri·ma·ries.

verb (used with object), pri·ma·ried, pri·ma·ry·ing.

verb (used without object), pri·ma·ried, pri·ma·ry·ing.

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Nearby words

Origin of primary

SYNONYMS FOR primary

ANTONYMS FOR primary

Related forms

Synonym study

Word story

Examples from the Web for primaries

British Dictionary definitions for primaries

primary

adjective

noun plural -ries

Word Origin for primary

Medicine definitions for primaries

primary

adj.

Science definitions for primaries

primary

Culture definitions for primaries

primaries

Note