primordial

[ prahy-mawr-dee-uhl ]

/ praɪˈmɔr di əl /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for primordial on Thesaurus.com

adjective

constituting a beginning; giving origin to something derived or developed; original; elementary: primordial forms of life.

Embryology. first formed.

pertaining to or existing at or from the very beginning: primordial matter.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of primordial

1350–1400; Middle English <Late Latin prīmōrdiālis of the beginning. See primordium, -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM primordial

pri·mor·di·al·i·ty

[prahy-mawr-dee-al-i-tee], /praɪˌmɔr diˈæl ɪ ti/, nounpri·mor·di·al·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH primordial

primal, primeval, primordial

Words nearby primordial

primo, Primo de Rivera, Primo de Rivera y Orbaneja, primogenitor, primogeniture, primordial, primordial ovarian follicle, primordial soup, primordium, primp, primrose

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use primordial in a sentence

Which means we might not only find life on Mars but a form of life older and more primordial than any previously observed on Earth.
NASA’s Perseverance rover landed safely on Mars. Now it will look for signs of ancient life.|Brian Resnick|February 18, 2021|Vox
Chunks that, individually, are mere specks in the cloud of millions of such primordial planetary leftovers circling our sun.
The Alien-Haunted World - Facts So Romantic|Caleb Scharf|February 15, 2021|Nautilus
These conditions were driven by large amounts of internal “primordial heat.”
After 1.5 Billion Years in Flux, Here’s How a New, Stronger Crust Set the Stage for Life on Earth|Fabio A Capitanio|December 3, 2020|Singularity Hub
Researchers have since tested most aspects of the equations by replicating the primordial nuclear reactions in laboratories.
Physicists Pin Down Nuclear Reaction From Moments After the Big Bang|Thomas Lewton|November 11, 2020|Quanta Magazine

If true, it would be the first window physicists have opened onto those primordial phase transitions.
Some Physicists See Signs of Cosmic Strings From the Big Bang|Thomas Lewton|September 29, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Sliding around beneath the surface of Los Angeles is something dark, primordial, and without form.
The Fiery Underground Oil Pit Eating L.A.|Geoff Manaugh|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What humans choose to do with this shapeless primordial stuff leaking through the cracks can often be almost comical.
The Fiery Underground Oil Pit Eating L.A.|Geoff Manaugh|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He is rather drawn to figures in pain, to the primordial, and to gloom.
Trading Dime Bags for Salvador Dali|Jason McGahan|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One predicted side effect of inflation is primordial gravitational waves: twisty ripples in the structure of the Universe.
The Big Buzz in Space News Is Something Called “Inflation.” What Exactly Is It?|Matthew R. Francis|March 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By now a calm had settled over him, a kind of primordial survival instinct, he believes.
Black Hawk Down’s Long Shadow|Daniel Klaidman|October 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
His point now became exactly what it used to be in the primordial dog—a pause of preparation before the spring.
Blazed Trail Stories|Stewart Edward White
Nu was the spirit of the primordial deep, and Nut of the waters above the heavens, the mother of moon and sun and the stars.
Myths of Babylonia and Assyria|Donald A. Mackenzie
First of all Thales thought that water was the primordial substance of all things.
Ten Books on Architecture|Vitruvius
He lifted a pseudopod from primordial ooze, and the pseudopod was him.
The Status Civilization|Robert Sheckley
Brilliant as are, in certain animal species, the destinies of the male, the female is primordial.
The Natural Philosophy of Love|Remy de Gourmont

British Dictionary definitions for primordial

primordial

/ (praɪˈmɔːdɪəl) /

adjective

existing at or from the beginning; earliest; primeval

constituting an origin; fundamental

biology of or relating to an early stage of developmentprimordial germ cells

noun

an elementary or basic principle

Derived forms of primordial

primordiality, nounprimordially, adverb

Word Origin for primordial

C14: from Late Latin prīmōrdiālis original, from Latin prīmus first + ōrdīrī to begin

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

Medical definitions for primordial

primordial

[ prī-môr′dē-əl ]

adj.

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

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

Relating to a primordium.

primordial

Origin of primordial

OTHER WORDS FROM primordial

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH primordial

Words nearby primordial

Words related to primordial

How to use primordial in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for primordial

Derived forms of primordial

Word Origin for primordial

Medical definitions for primordial