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Added 30 September 2026

prime

/pɹaɪ̯m/ adjective

In Latin: simplex Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about prime at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

First in importance, degree, or rank.
Our prime concern here is to keep the community safe.
First in time, order, or sequence.
Both the English and French governments established prime meridians in their capitals.
First in excellence, quality, or value.
This is a prime location for a bookstore.

noun

The first hour of daylight; the first canonical hour.
The religious service appointed to this hour.
The early morning generally.

verb

To fill or prepare the chamber of a mechanism for its main work.
You'll have to press this button twice to prime the fuel pump.
To apply a coat of primer paint to.
I need to prime these handrails before we can apply the finish coat.
To be renewed.

noun

An intermediate sprint within a race, usually offering a prize and/or points.

Origin

From Middle English prime, from Old French prime and its etymon, Latin prīmus (“first”), from earlier prīsmos < *prīsemos < Proto-Italic *priisemos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“beyond, before”). Doublet of primo and primus. The noun sense "apostrophe-like symbol" originates from the fact that the symbol ′ was originally a superscript Roman numeral one.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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