PRIMARY

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin primarius basic, ~, from Latin, principal, from primus Date: 15th century first in order of time or development ; primitive , 2. of first rank, importance, or value ; principal , basic , fundamental , of, relating to, or constituting the principal quills of a bird's wing, of or relating to agriculture, forestry, and the extractive industries or their products, expressive of present or future time , of, relating to, or constituting the strongest of the three or four degrees of stress recognized by most linguists , 3. direct , firsthand , not derivable from other colors, odors, or tastes, preparatory to something else in a continuing process , of or relating to a ~ school , of or relating to a ~ election , belonging to the first group or order in successive divisions, combinations, or ramifications , directly derived from ores , of, relating to, or being the amino acid sequence in proteins , resulting from the substitution of one of two or more atoms or groups in a molecule , of, relating to, involving, or derived from ~ meristem , of, relating to, or involved in the production of organic substances by green plants , providing ~ care , II. noun (plural -ries) Date: 1656 something that stands first in rank, importance, or value ; fundamental , the celestial body around which one or more other celestial bodies revolve, one of the usually 9 or 10 strong quills on the distal joint of a bird's wing, 4. ~ color , the sensation of seeing ~ colors, 5. caucus , an election in which qualified voters nominate or express a preference for a particular candidate or group of candidates for political office, choose party officials, or select delegates for a party convention, the coil that is connected to the source of electricity in an induction coil or transformer