premiere

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈpɹɛmjɛə/ (UK); /pɹəˈmɪɚ/, /pɹɪ-/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French première, short for “première représentation”, first performance, the feminine of premier (“first”) (see premier).^[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first public performance of a play: 1889, in Frank Leslie's correspondence.^[2][6][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The verb, to present a first performance, is recorded from 1925 in Etymonline, 1940 in the OED.^[3][6] It is used of films, television programmes and musical works as well as plays.^[7][8] The leading actress of a company was also called a première.^[9]

Timeline

• 1889 – a first performance.^[2][6]
• 1925 – the verb.^[3]
• 1940 – the verb, in the OED.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The first public performance of a play, film or musical work.

Verb

1. To give the first public performance of.

Related words

• premier
• prime
• primary

Usage notes

It is also spelled première, with the French accent.^[9][2]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
9. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press