adj. & n.
adj. 1 early, ancient; at an early stage of civilization (primitive man). 2 undeveloped, crude, simple (primitive methods). 3 original, primary. 4 Gram. & Philol. (of words or language) radical; not derivative. 5 Math. (of a line, figure, etc.) from which another is derived, from which some construction begins, etc. 6 (of a colour) primary. 7 Geol. of the earliest period. 8 Biol. appearing in the earliest or a very early stage of growth or evolution.
n. 1 a a painter of the period before the Renaissance. b a modern imitator of such. c an untutored painter with a direct naïve style. d a picture by such a painter. 2 a primitive word, line, etc. the Primitive Church the Christian Church in its earliest times. primitively adv. primitiveness n.
[ ME f. OF primitif -ive or L primitivus first of its kind f. primitus in the first place f. primus first ]