Origin of primary
synonym study for primary
5. See
elementary.
historical usage of primary
The English adjective
primary is a direct borrowing from the Latin adjective
prīmārius “very important, leading, chief, excellent, first-rate.”
Prīmārius is a pretty obvious derivation of
prīmus “leading, foremost, furthest out, extreme, earliest, first” and the adjective and noun suffix
-ārius, the ultimate source of the English suffix
-ary.
Prīmus is formed from the Proto-Indo-European root
per, which has many modifications and extensions, and whose fundamental meaning “forward, in front, through” is the base of many adverbs, prefixes, and prepositions. Variants of the root
per appear in the Latin prefix, adverb, and preposition
prae-, prae “in front, ahead” (adopted as
pre- in English) and
prō-, prō, implying forward motion, making an opening, priority in time or importance (source of English
pro- ). Variants of
per appear in Greek
prōtos “first” (as in English
protein and
proton ) and in Germanic (Old English)
forma, formest, forth, furthra, fyrst (English
former, foremost, forth, further, first ).
OTHER WORDS FROM primary
pri·ma·ri·ness, noun post·pri·ma·ry, adjective sub·pri·ma·ry, adjectiveWords nearby primary
Example sentences from the Web for post-primary
British Dictionary definitions for post-primary
primary
/ (ˈpraɪmərɪ) /
adjective
noun plural -ries
Word Origin for primary
C15: from Latin
prīmārius of the first rank, principal, from
prīmus first
Medical definitions for post-primary
primary
[ prī′mĕr′ē, -mə-rē ]
adj.
Being first or highest in importance; principal.
Occurring first in time or sequence; earliest.
Preliminary to a later stage of development; primordial; embryonic.
Immediate; direct.
Of, relating to, or being a sequence of amino acids in a protein.
Scientific definitions for post-primary
primary
[ prī′mĕr′ē ]
Relating to a primary color.
Relating to plant tissues or growth derived from the apical meristem in the tips of roots and shoots, whose cells divide and elongate to cause the plant to grow lengthwise.
- Relating to or having a carbon atom that is attached to only one other carbon atom in a molecule.
- Relating to an organic molecule, such as an alcohol, in which the functional group is attached to a primary carbon. A primary alcohol, for example, has the hydroxyl (OH) group attached to the last carbon in a chain.
- Arising first and spontaneously, as a disease, disorder, or tumor, and not as a result of a known medical condition or injury.
- Relating to the first set of teeth that develops in humans.
Relating to the initial medical care given by a healthcare provider to a patient, especially in a setting of ambulatory, continuous care, and sometimes followed by referral to other medical providers. Compare secondary tertiary.