| 释义 |
prim·i·tive
I. \ˈpriməd.iv, -ətiv\ adjective
Etymology: Middle English primitif, from Latin primitivus, from primitus firstly, originally (from primus first + -itus, adverb suffix) + -ivus -ive — more at prime
1.
a. : not derived from or reducible to something else : original, primary
< seeks excellence at its primitive source — nature — John Dewey >
< an acre of one primitive color alone — J.A.Michener >
< primitive verbs >
b. : axiomatic, postulational
< primitive formula >
< primitive concept >
c. : of, relating to, or constituting the smallest possible unit cell of a space lattice; especially : of, relating to, or constituting such a cell having its axes normal to planes and parallel to axes of symmetry
2.
a. : of or relating to the earliest age or period of something
< had generally shown a desire to have the church become its primitive self again — Stringfellow Barr >
< from the moment when primitive human creatures shaped the first tools — Jacquetta & Christopher Hawkes >
< primitive Norse >
b.
(1) : primordial — opposed to definitive
(2) : closely approximating an early ancestral type : little evolved : archaic, persistent
< the opossums are primitive mammals >
c. : belonging to or characteristic of an early stage of development : crude, rudimentary
< a health resort with primitive facilities has been built here — American Guide Series: Texas >
< a primitive but effective police inquiry — T.S.Eliot >
d. : of, relating to, or constituting the assumed parent speech of related languages
< primitive Germanic >
3.
a. : of or relating to the beginning of things : primeval
< it runs through resort areas, rolling and rocky farmland, through primitive forests — American Guide Series: Maine >
b. : earliest formed : fundamental — used especially of the Archean in geology
4.
a. : of or relating to a state of nature : elemental
< the noble savage endowed with primitive virtue — Oscar Handlin >
< our primitive feelings of vengeance — John Mackwood >
b. : of or relating to any unindustrialized people or culture not possessing a written language and commonly having a relatively simple technology and material culture : nonliterate, preliterate
c. : lacking in sophistication or subtlety of thought, feeling, or expression : naïve, simple
< neither staunchly primitive nor confidently au courant, she rarely knew where she was at — Jean Stafford >
d.
(1) : self-taught, untutored
< a primitive painter who has never been inside a museum or art school >
(2) : produced by a self-taught artist
< a primitive portrait >
5. : of, relating to, or holding the doctrines of any of several small Protestant religious groups
II. noun
(-s)
1.
a. : something that is primitive
< involves no cult of the instinctive and primitive — F.R.Leavis >
specifically : a primitive idea, term, or proposition
< limit the number of undefined concepts to a few simple primitives — K.F.Leidecker >
b. : a root word : radical — compare derivative
2. often capitalized : a member of any of several small Protestant religious groups; especially : primitive methodist
3.
a.
(1) : an artist active in the early period of a culture or artistic movement
(2) : a later imitator or follower of such an artist
b.
(1) : a self-taught artist
(2) : an artist whose work is marked by directness and naïveté
< the simplicity of vision and of purpose that make the true primitive — Cyril Ray >
c. : a work of art produced by a primitive artist
4. : a relation from which a differential equation is derived
5.
a. : a member of a nonliterate or preliterate people
< the anthropology of the future will not be concerned above all else with primitives — A.L.Kroeber >
b. : a simple and unsophisticated person
< this grand primitive, shaggy and good as a dog — J.H.Allen >
c. : a person whose attitudes, behavior, or mentality are those of an earlier stage of society or human development
< a revolt of the primitives, goaded by demagogues — New Republic >
< a handsome, tough tavern brawler with a law degree, a kind of lowbrow intellectual primitive — Time >
6. : a postage stamp of early issue; also : a philatelic cover of early date
III. noun
: a typically rough or simple usually handmade and antique home accessory or furnishing |