ˈpraɪmərɪ adj. & n. --adj. 1 a of
the first importance;
chief (that is
our primary concern). b
fundamental,
basic. 2 earliest,
original; first in a
series. 3 of the first rank in a series;
not derived (the primary
meaning of a word). 4 designating
any of the colours
red,
green,
and blue, or
for pigments red, blue, and
yellow,
from which all other colours can be obtained by mixing. 5 (of a
battery or cell) generating
electricity by
irreversible chemical reaction. 6 (of education) for
young children,
esp.
below the
age of 11. 7 (Primary) Geol. of the lowest series of
strata. 8 Biol. belonging to the first
stage of
development. 9 (of an
industry or
source of production)
concerned with obtaining or using
raw materials. 10 Gram. (of a tense in
Latin and Greek) present,
future,
perfect, or future perfect (cf. HISTORIC). --n. (pl. -ies) 1 a
thing that is primary. 2 (in full primary election) (in the US) a
preliminary election to
appoint delegates to a party
conference or to
select the candidates for a
principal (esp. presidential) election. 3 = primary
planet. 4 (Primary) Geol. the Primary
period. 5 = primary
feather. 6 = primary coil. øprimary coil a coil to which
current is supplied in a
transformer. primary feather a
large flight-feather of a bird's
wing. primary planet a planet that
directly orbits the
sun (cf.
secondary planet). primary school a school
where young children are
taught, esp. below the age of 11. øøprimarily adv. [ME f. L primarius f.
primus first]
