primeval
UK /pɹaɪ̯ˈmiː.vəl/ · US /pɹaɪ̯ˈmi.vəl/ adjective
Forms primaeval primæval
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin primaevus (“in the first or earliest period of life”) + -al, from primus (“first”) + aevum (“time, age”); see prime and age.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Belonging to the first ages; pristine; original; primitive; primary; as, the primeval innocence of man. "This is the forest primeval." Longfellow.
Etymology [L. primaevus; primus first + aevum age. See Prime, a., and Age.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “primeval”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details