primordial
Americanadjective
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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.
adjective
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existing at or from the beginning; earliest; primeval
-
constituting an origin; fundamental
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biology of or relating to an early stage of development
primordial germ cells
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of primordial
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin prīmōrdiālis of the beginning. See primordium, -al 1
Explanation
Primordial, an adjective, describes something that has been around forever, like cockroaches. Primordial comes from the Latin words primus, meaning "first" and ordiri, "to begin." So it is easy to see that this adjective means "first of all, original." When something is primordial, it has existed since the earliest time, like the primordial mud some scientists believe was the source of all life on Earth. Remember that is it a scientific term — don't call your teacher primordial just because she's been teaching at your school since it opened.
Vocabulary lists containing primordial
The Call of the Wild
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This Week In Words: January 4–10, 2020
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Space Science (Astronomy) - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Once he’s managed to hurl himself past the surf to rest atop an underwater cliff, the darkness below is as scary as if we’d regressed into primordial prey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
The collisions briefly create tiny droplets of primordial matter that usually survive for less than a quadrillionth of a second.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
Equally important, the field strengths favored by the data, about five to 10 pico-Gauss today, are close to what would be needed for galaxy and cluster magnetic fields to originate from primordial seeds alone.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
In Gilt, there were the right ingredients for a primordial soup of entrepreneurship: a hot company capable of attracting the best talent, Ryan said—and then it was sold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Perhaps we should return to ourselves, to our own primordial streets, to our own ruggedness, to our own rude hair.
From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
