primordial
Americanadjective
-
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.
Scientists believe processes in the extremely early universe may have generated primordial gravitational waves that carry information about conditions from that distant era.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
By reducing the collision energy and using smaller nuclei, physicists can approach the threshold at which the distinctive signatures of primordial matter disappear.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
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
If present, primordial magnetic fields would speed up recombination by pushing and pulling on charged particles, making matter slightly clumpy.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
She was the oldest and most primordial of the Olympians, born from the blood of Ouranos churning in the sea.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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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.
