prime
/pɹaɪ̯m/ adjective, noun, verb, proper noun
Forms primer primest primes priming primed
- adjective First in importance, degree, or rank. “Our prime concern here is to keep the community safe.”
- adjective First in time, order, or sequence. “Both the English and French governments established prime meridians in their capitals.”
- adjective First in excellence, quality, or value. “This is a prime location for a bookstore.”
- adjective (mathematics, lay) Having exactly two integral factors: itself and unity (1 in the case of integers). “Thirteen is a prime number.”
- adjective (mathematics, technical) Such that if it divides a product, it divides one of the multiplicands.
- adjective (algebra, of an ideal) Having its complement closed under multiplication.
- adjective (algebra, of a nonzero module) Such that the annihilator of any nonzero submodule is equal to the annihilator of the whole module.
- adjective Marked or distinguished by the prime symbol.
- noun (historical) The first hour of daylight; the first canonical hour.
- noun (Christianity) The religious service appointed to this hour.
- noun (obsolete) The early morning generally.
- noun (now rare) The earliest stage of something.
- noun The most active, thriving, or successful stage or period.
- noun The chief or best individual or part.
- noun Something which is first in importance or rank: a prime defense company, mortgage lender, etc.
- noun (music) The first note or tone of a musical scale.
- verb (transitive) 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.”
- verb (transitive) To apply a coat of primer paint to. “I need to prime these handrails before we can apply the finish coat.”
- verb (obsolete, intransitive) To be renewed.
- verb (intransitive) To serve as priming for the charge of a gun.
Synonyms
greatest main most important primary principal top earliest first original excellent top quality indivisible early morning bloom blossom efflorescence flower flush heyday peak prime quantity prime of life ground undercoat premier choice prize quality select meridian
Antonyms
Etymology
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.
Related to primage and Latin prīmus.
From French prime (“reward, prize, bonus”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective First in order of time; original; primeval; primitive; primary.
- adjective First in rank, degree, dignity, authority, or importance; as, prime minister. "Prime virtues." Dryden.
- noun The first part; the earliest stage; the beginning or opening, as of the day, the year, etc.; hence, the dawn; the spring. Chaucer.
- noun The spring of life; youth; hence, full health, strength, or beauty; perfection. "Cut off in their prime." Eustace. "The prime of youth." Dryden.
Etymology [F., fr. L. primus first, a superl. corresponding to the compar. prior former. See Prior, a., Foremost, Former, and cf. Prim, a., Primary, Prince.]
Etymology [F. prime, LL. prima (sc. hora). See Prime, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “prime”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details