Etymologically
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primary

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /ˈpraɪ.mər.i/, US /ˈpraɪ.mer.i/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English primarie,[2][3] borrowed from Latin prīmārius (“of the first rank, chief, principal, excellent”),[2][4][5] in Late Latin also “basic, primary”,[3] from prīmus (“first”),[2][4] the source of prime, with the suffix -ary.[4] It is a doublet of premier.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Earliest, most basic, first in time or sequence: probably before 1425, in a translation of Chauliac's Grande Chirurgie,[4] the early 15th century in Etymonline.[2] The OED's first example is from 1471.[6]

Semantic evolution

“First or highest in rank or importance” is from 1565,[6] the 1560s in Etymonline.[2] “Not derived from something else, original” is from before 1631, and “direct, first-hand” from 1621.[6] Primary color is from the 1610s.[2] The sense “first in development, elementary” is from about 1800, first in education:[2] primary school is by 1793, translating French école primaire.[2] The noun, the first or most important thing, is from 1760 in Etymonline,[2] 1656 in Merriam-Webster and before 1721 in Barnhart.[7][4] The American primary election is from 1835 in a US context,[2][4] and primary alone, a party's nominating election, from before 1861 in Barnhart, by 1855 in Etymonline.[4][2]

Timeline

  • before 1425 – earliest, original.[4]
  • 1565 – first in rank or importance.[6]
  • 1610s – primary color.[2]
  • 1621 – direct, first-hand.[6]
  • 1793 – primary school.[2]
  • 1835 – primary election.[2][4]
  • 1855 – noun, a primary election.[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. First or highest in rank or importance; principal.
  2. First in time or order; earliest; original.
  3. Basic or fundamental; not derived from anything else.
  4. Of education, for young children: primary school.
  5. Direct, first-hand: primary sources.

Noun

  1. An election in which members of a party choose its candidates.
  2. Something first in rank or importance; a primary color.

Word family

  • primariness
  • primarily
  • postprimary
  • preprimary
  • subprimary
  • primary care
  • primary color
  • primary producer
  • prime
  • premier
  • primal
  • primitive
  • prince
  • primer

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster