[pri.mor.di.al] adj [ME, fr. LL primordialis, fr. L primordium origin, fr. primus first + ordiri to begin--more at prime, order] (14c) 1 a: first created or developed: primeval 1 b: existing in or persisting from the beginning (as of a solar system or universe) "a ~ gas cloud" c: earliest formed in the growth of an individual or organ: primitive
2: fundamental, primary "~ human joys --Sir Winston Churchill" -- pri.mor.di.al.ly adv