Word Frequency
primary
(ˈpraɪmərɪ)
adjective
1.
first in importance, degree, rank, etc
2.
first in position or time, as in a series
3.
fundamental; basic
4.
being the first stage; elementary
5. (prenominal)
of or relating to the education of children up to the age of 11
6.
(of the flight feathers of a bird's wing) growing from the manus
7.
a.
being the part of an electric circuit, such as a transformer or induction coil, in which a changing current induces a current in a neighbouring circuit
a primary coil
b.
(of a current) flowing in such a circuit
Compare secondary 8.
a.
(of a product) consisting of a natural raw material; unmanufactured
b.
(of production or industry) involving the extraction or winning of such products. Agriculture, fishing, forestry, hunting, and mining are primary industries
Compare secondary (sense 7), tertiary (sense 3)9. chemistry
a.
(of an organic compound) having a functional group attached to a carbon atom that is attached to at least two hydrogen atoms
b.
(of an amine) having only one organic group attached to the nitrogen atom; containing the group NH2
c.
(of a salt) derived from a tribasic acid by replacement of one acidic hydrogen atom with a metal atom or electropositive group
10. linguistics
a.
derived from a word that is not a derivation but the ultimate form itself. Lovable is a primary derivative of love
b.
(of Latin, Greek, or Sanskrit tenses) referring to present or future time
Compare historic (sense 3)11. geology
relating to magmas that have not experienced fractional crystallization or crystal contamination
nounWord forms: plural -ries
12.
a person or thing that is first in rank, occurrence, etc
13. (in the US)
a.
a preliminary election in which the voters of a state or region choose a party's convention delegates, nominees for office, etc
See also closed primary, direct primary, open primary b.
Full name: primary electiona local meeting of voters registered with one party to nominate candidates, select convention delegates, etc
14. primary colour
15.
any of the flight feathers growing from the manus of a bird's wing
16.
a primary coil, winding, inductance, or current in an electric circuit
17. astronomy
a celestial body around which one or more specified secondary bodies orbit
the sun is the primary of the earth
Word origin
C15: from Latin prīmārius of the first rank, principal, from prīmus first