I. ˈprīm noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English prīm, from Latin prima ( hora ) first hour, from prima, feminine of primus first + hora hour — more at hour
1.
a. often capitalized : a religious office constituting the first of the daytime canonical hours — compare laud , matins
b. : the first hour of the day usually considered either as 6 a.m. or the hour of sunrise
2.
a. : the beginning or earliest stage of something : the first part or age
saurians of the prime — Henry Adams
b. : spring
the prime of the year
c. : the spring of life : youth
in her prime , pretty as a lamb, a laughing girl — A.E.Coppard
3.
a. : the most active, thriving, or successful stage of something
patent medicines were in their prime — Thérèse S. Westermeier
the prime of his musical career — Terry de Valera
b. : the period of greatest vigor and productivity in a person's life
these two home-run sluggers, who were tremendous crowd pullers in their prime — Collier's Year Book
4.
a. : the chief or best individual of a group
prime of the flock, and choicest of the stall — Alexander Pope
b. : the best part of something
give him always of the prime — Jonathan Swift
c. : an export grade of yellow pine lumber of very high quality that is free from defects and largely heartwood
d. : sheet metal products of the highest commercial quality
5. : prime number
6.
a. : primero
b. : the second-highest hand in primero and related games consisting of one card of each suit
c. : a block in backgammon formed by a series of six closed points
7. : a parry in fencing defending the upper inside target in which the hand is to the left at head height in a position of pronation with the point of the blade directed downward and the forearm is across the body parallel to the ground — called also first ; compare quarte
8.
a. : the first note or tone of a musical scale : tonic
b. : a tone represented by the same staff degree as a given tone
c. : the pitch relation between two such musical notes or tones or their simultaneous combination
d. : prime tone
9. : a symbol or accent ′ suffixed in writing or printing to distinguish one character from a related character (as a ′ from a or from a ″), to indicate a relative unit (as a minute of angle or a foot), or to differentiate a mathematical function — compare double prime
II. adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, feminine of prin prime, from Latin primus; akin to Latin prior former, prior — more at prior
1.
a. : first in order of time : original , primitive
high heaven and earth ail from the prime foundation — A.E.Housman
b. : having the vigor and freshness of youth : youthful
our manhood's prime vigor — Robert Browning
2.
a.
(1) : of, relating to, or constituting a prime number
(2) : having no common integral divisor greater than 1
12 is prime to 25
12 and 25 are relatively prime
b.
(1) of a polynomial : not factorable
(2) : having no common polynomial divisors with coefficients in the same field other than constants
these two polynomials are relatively prime
3. obsolete : lecherous , lustful
as prime as goats — Shakespeare
4.
a. : first in rank or authority : chief , leading
made you the prime man of the state — Shakespeare
b. : first in significance or urgency : principal
a prime requisite
a prime example
a prime need
c.
(1) : first in excellence or importance : having the highest quality or value
a prime new plow — M.A.Hancock
prime farming land — J.D.Adams
a prime fish
prime television time
(2) : of the highest grade — used of meat, especially beef; compare choice , commercial , good 1f(5)
(3) : being in the best condition — used especially of fur skins and hides
when the deer hides are prime — Farley Mowat
d. : having the highest credit rating
prime borrowers
prime commercial loans
5. : not deriving from something else : primary
the prime postulate of his philosophy
III. adverb
Etymology: prime (II)
: primely
IV. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: probably from prime (I)
transitive verb
1. : fill , load
primed the lamp with oil
came to these encounters well primed with wine — J.B.Cabell
2. : to prepare for firing by supplying with priming or a primer
prime a cannon
prime a mine
3.
a. : to lay the first color, coating, or preparation upon
primed the wall with white paint
an undercoater for sealing and priming inside surfaces — Wall Street Journal
b. archaic : to put cosmetics on : make up
every morning primes her face — John Oldham
4. : to put into working order by filling or charging with something: as
a. : to pour water into the barrel or bucket of (a pump)
b. : to pour gasoline into the carburetor of (an engine)
c. : to impart a charge of static electricity to one armature of (an induction electric machine)
5.
a. : to instruct beforehand : coach
primed the witness
b. : to make ready : prepare
keeping their eyes primed, their cameras ready — Barbara B. Jamison
a livestock dipping vat was primed with a fresh solution — F.B.Gipson
6. : to harvest (tobacco) by picking the leaves a few at a time as they ripen
7. : stimulate
loses money in attempting to prime the sugarcane industry — Sidney Shalett
intransitive verb
1. archaic : to assume precedence : domineer
2. : to operate so that steam is liberated in small portions with the result that fine water particles are entrained with and carried over by steam
3. : to have a shortened tide day
4. : to become prime
the hides were priming towards winter, heavy and well-furred — Mari Sandox
•
- prime the pump
V. noun
( -s )
: the priming of a gun
VI. intransitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: origin unknown
of a fish : to leap from the water