Adjacent Words

Prime definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PRIME, a. [L. primus.]
1. First in order of time; original; as prime fathers; prime creation.
In this sense, the use of the word is nearly superseded by primitive, except in the phrase, prime cost.
2. First in rank, degree or dignity; as prime minister.
3. First in excellence; as prime wheat; cloth of a prime quality. Humility and resignation are prime virtues.
4. Early; blooming.
His starry helm unbuckl'd, showed him prime
In manhood, where youth ended.
5. First in value or importance.
Prime number, in arithmetic, a number which is divisible only by unity, as 5.7.ll.
Prime figure, in geometry, a figure which cannot be divided into any other figure more simple than itself, as a triangle, a pyramid, etc.
PRIME, n. The first opening of day; the dawn; the morning.
Early and late it rung, at evening and at prime.
The sweet hour of prime.
1. The beginning; the early days.
In the very prime of the world.
2. The spring of the year.
Hope waits upon the flower prime.
3. The spring of life; youth; hence, full health, strength or beauty.
That crop the golden prime of this sweet prince.
The prime of youth.
4. The best part.
Give him always of the prime.
5. The utmost perfection.
The plants--would have been all in prime.
6. In the Romish church,the first canonical hour, succeeding to lauds.
7. In fencing, the first of the chief guards.
8. In chimistry, primes are numbers employed, in conformity with the doctrine of definite proportions, to express the ratios in which bodies enter into combination. Primes duly arranged in a table, constitute a scale of chimical equivalents. They also express the ratios of the weights of atoms, according to the atomic theory.
Prime of the moon, the new moon, when it first appears after the change.
vertical, the vertical circle which passes through the poles of the meridian, or the east and west points of the horizon. Dials projected on the plane of this circle, are called prime vertical or north and south dials.
PRIME, v.t. To put powder in the pan of a musket or other fire-arm; or to lay a train of powder for communicating fire to a charge.
1. To lay on the first color in painting.
PRIME, v.i. To serve for the charge of a gun.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: first in rank or degree; "an architect of premier rank"; "the prime minister" [syn: premier, prime]
2: used of the first or originating agent; "prime mover"
3: of superior grade; "choice wines"; "prime beef"; "prize carnations"; "quality paper"; "select peaches" [syn: choice, prime, prize, quality, select]
4: of or relating to or being an integer that cannot be factored into other integers; "prime number"
5: being at the best stage of development; "our manhood's prime vigor"- Robert Browning [syn: prime, meridian] n
1: a number that has no factor but itself and 1 [syn: prime, prime quantity]
2: the period of greatest prosperity or productivity [syn: flower, prime, peak, heyday, bloom, blossom, efflorescence, flush]
3: the second canonical hour; about 6 a.m.
4: the time of maturity when power and vigor are greatest [syn: prime, prime of life] v
1: insert a primer into (a gun, mine, or charge) preparatory to detonation or firing; "prime a cannon"; "prime a mine"
2: cover with a primer; apply a primer to [syn: prime, ground, undercoat]
3: fill with priming liquid; "prime a car engine"

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old English pr?m, from Latin prima hora first hour Date: before 12th century 1. a. often capitalized the second of the canonical hours b. the first hour of the day usually considered either as 6 a.m. or the hour of sunrise 2. a. the earliest stage b. spring c. youth 3. the most active, thriving, or satisfying stage or period <in the prime of his life> 4. the chief or best individual or part ; pick <prime of the flock, and choicest of the stall — Alexander Pope> 5. prime number 6. a. the first note or tone of a musical scale ; tonic b. the interval between two notes on the same staff degree 7. the symbol ? used to distinguish arbitrary characters (as a and a?), to indicate a specific unit (as feet or minutes of time or angular measure), or to indicate the derivative of a function (as p? or f?(x)) — compare double prime 8. prime rate II. adjective Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, feminine of prim first, from Latin primus; akin to Latin prior Date: 14th century 1. first in time ; original 2. a. of, relating to, or being a prime number — compare relatively prime b. having no polynomial factors other than itself and no monomial factors other than 1 <a prime polynomial> c. expressed as a product of prime factors (as prime numbers and prime polynomials) <a prime factorization> 3. a. first in rank, authority, or significance ; principal <a prime example> b. having the highest quality or value <prime farmland> c. of the highest grade regularly marketed — used of meat and especially beef 4. not deriving from something else ; primary • primely adverb • primeness noun III. verb (primed; priming) Etymology: probably from ¹prime Date: 1513 transitive verb 1. fill, load 2. a. to prepare for firing by supplying with priming b. to insert a primer into (a cartridge case) 3. to apply the first color, coating, or preparation to <prime a wall> 4. a. to put into working order by filling or charging with something <prime a pump with water> b. to supply with an essential prerequisite (as a hormone, nucleic acid, or antigen) for chemical or biological activity <primed female mice with estrogen> 5. to instruct beforehand ; coach <primed the witness> 6. stimulate intransitive verb to become prime

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. adj. & n. --adj. 1 chief, most important (the prime agent; the prime motive). 2 (esp. of cattle and provisions) first-rate, excellent. 3 primary, fundamental. 4 Math. a (of a number) divisible only by itself and unity (e.g. 2, 3, 5, 7, 11). b (of numbers) having no common factor but unity. --n. 1 the state of the highest perfection of something (in the prime of life). 2 (prec. by the; foll. by of) the best part. 3 the beginning or first age of anything. 4 Eccl. a the second canonical hour of prayer, appointed for the first hour of the day (i.e. 6 a.m.). b the office of this. c archaic this time. 5 a prime number. 6 Printing a symbol (') added to a letter etc. as a distinguishing mark, or to a figure as a symbol for minutes or feet. 7 the first of eight parrying positions in fencing. Phrases and idioms: prime cost the direct cost of a commodity in terms of materials, labour, etc. prime meridian 1 the meridian from which longitude is reckoned, esp. that passing through Greenwich. 2 the corresponding line on a map. prime minister the head of an elected government; the principal minister of a sovereign or State. prime mover 1 an initial natural or mechanical source of motive power. 2 the author of a fruitful idea. prime rate the lowest rate at which money can be borrowed commercially. prime time the time at which a radio or television audience is expected to be at its highest. prime vertical the great circle of the heavens passing through the zenith and the E. and W. points of the horizon. Derivatives: primeness n. Etymology: (n.) OE prim f. L prima (hora) first (hour), & MF f. OF prime: (adj.) ME f. OF f. L primus first 2. v.tr. 1 prepare (a thing) for use or action. 2 prepare (a gun) for firing or (an explosive) for detonation. 3 a pour (a liquid) into a pump to prepare it for working. b inject petrol into (the cylinder or carburettor of an internal-combustion engine). 4 prepare (wood etc.) for painting by applying a substance that prevents paint from being absorbed. 5 equip (a person) with information etc. 6 ply (a person) with food or drink in preparation for something. Etymology: 16th c.: orig. unkn.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Prime Prime, a. (Math.) (a) Divisible by no number except itself or unity; as, 7 is a prime number. (b) Having no common factor; -- used with to; as, 12 is prime to 25.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Prime Prime, a. [F., fr. L. primus first, a superl. corresponding to the compar. prior former. See Prior, a., Foremost, Former, and cf. Prim, a., Primary, Prince.] 1. First in order of time; original; primeval; primitive; primary. ``Prime forests.'' --Tennyson. She was not the prime cause, but I myself. --Milton. Note: In this sense the word is nearly superseded by primitive, except in the phrase prime cost. 2. First in rank, degree, dignity, authority, or importance; as, prime minister. ``Prime virtues.'' --Dryden. 3. First in excellence; of highest quality; as, prime wheat; a prime quality of cloth. 4. Early; blooming; being in the first stage. [Poetic] His starry helm, unbuckled, showed him prime In manhood where youth ended. --Milton. 5. Lecherous; lustful; lewd. [Obs.] --Shak. 6. Marked or distinguished by a mark (') called a prime mark.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Prime Prime, v. i. 1. To be renewed, or as at first. [Obs.] Night's bashful empress, though she often wane, As oft repeats her darkness, primes again. --Quarles. 2. To serve as priming for the charge of a gun. 3. To work so that foaming occurs from too violent ebullition, which causes water to become mixed with, and be carried along with, the steam that is formed; -- said of a steam boiler.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Prime Prime, n. 1. The first part; the earliest stage; the beginning or opening, as of the day, the year, etc.; hence, the dawn; the spring. --Chaucer. In the very prime of the world. --Hooker. Hope waits upon the flowery prime. --Waller. 2. The spring of life; youth; hence, full health, strength, or beauty; perfection. ``Cut off in their prime.'' --Eustace. ``The prime of youth.'' --Dryden. 3. That which is first in quantity; the most excellent portion; the best part. Give him always of the prime. --Swift. 4. [F. prime, LL. prima (sc. hora). See Prime, a.] The morning; specifically (R. C. Ch.), the first canonical hour, succeeding to lauds. Early and late it rung, at evening and at prime. --Spenser. Note: Originally, prime denoted the first quarter of the artificial day, reckoned from 6 a. m. to 6 p. m. Afterwards, it denoted the end of the first quarter, that is, 9 a. m. Specifically, it denoted the first canonical hour, as now. Chaucer uses it in all these senses, and also in the sense of def. 1, above. They sleep till that it was pryme large. --Chaucer. 5. (Fencing) The first of the chief guards. 6. (Chem.) Any number expressing the combining weight or equivalent of any particular element; -- so called because these numbers were respectively reduced to their lowest relative terms on the fixed standard of hydrogen as 1. [Obs. or Archaic] 7. (Arith.) A prime number. See under Prime, a. 8. An inch, as composed of twelve seconds in the duodecimal system; -- denoted by [']. See 2d Inch, n., 1. Prime of the moon, the new moon at its first appearance.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Prime Prime, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Primed; p. pr. & vb. n. Priming.] [From Prime, a.] 1. To apply priming to, as a musket or a cannon; to apply a primer to, as a metallic cartridge. 2. To lay the first color, coating, or preparation upon (a surface), as in painting; as, to prime a canvas, a wall. 3. To prepare; to make ready; to instruct beforehand; to post; to coach; as, to prime a witness; the boys are primed for mischief. [Colloq.] --Thackeray. 4. To trim or prune, as trees. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] 5. (Math.) To mark with a prime mark. To prime a pump, to charge a pump with water, in order to put it in working condition.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(primes, priming, primed) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. You use prime to describe something that is most important in a situation. Political stability, meanwhile, will be a prime concern... It could be a prime target for guerrilla attack... The police will see me as the prime suspect! ADJ: ADJ n 2. You use prime to describe something that is of the best possible quality. It was one of the City's prime sites, near the Stock Exchange. ADJ: ADJ n 3. You use prime to describe an example of a particular kind of thing that is absolutely typical. The prime example is Macy's, once the undisputed king of California retailers. = classic ADJ: ADJ n 4. If someone or something is in their prime, they are at the stage in their existence when they are at their strongest, most active, or most successful. She was in her intellectual prime... We've had a series of athletes trying to come back well past their prime. ...young persons in the prime of life. N-UNCOUNT: usu poss N 5. If you prime someone to do something, you prepare them to do it, for example by giving them information about it beforehand. Claire wished she'd primed Sarah beforehand... Arnold primed her for her duties... The press corps was primed to leap to the defense of the fired officials. = brief VERB: V n, V n for n, be V-ed to-inf 6. to prime the pump: see pump

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. First, original, primitive, primal, primeval, primordial, pristine, aboriginal. 2. Highest, chief, principal. 3. Early, blooming. 4. First-rate, capital, excellent. II. n. 1. Beginning, opening, first part, earliest stage, dawn, morning. 2. Youth, spring of life, early days. 3. Perfection, flower, greatest beauty, health, or strength, best days, cream.

1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue

Bang up. Quite the thing. Excellent. Well done. She's a prime piece; she is very skilful in the venereal act. Prime post. She's a prime article.

Moby Thesaurus

Eastertide, Mass, Maytime, abecedarian, aboriginal, acme, admirable, adolescence, adulthood, adultness, advise, age of consent, algorismic, algorithmic, aliquot, all-absorbing, alpha, ancestral, antecedent, antenatal, antepatriarchal, anterior, anticipatory, apply paint, apprise, arch, atavistic, aurora, autochthonous, banner, basic, bedaub, bedizen, bedtime prayer, begild, beginning, besmear, best, break of day, breaking-in, brief, brightening, brush on paint, budding, budtime, butter, calcimine, camp meeting, capital, cardinal, central, champion, chanticleer, charge, chief, choice, chosen, church, church service, ci-devant, coach, coat, cock, cockcrow, cocklight, color, complexion, compline, controlling, cover, crack of dawn, cram, cram with facts, cream, creative, crowning, dab, dandy, daub, dawn, dawning, day-peep, daybreak, daylight, dayspring, decimal, deep-dye, detonate, devotions, differential, digital, dip, discharge, distemper, divine service, dominant, double-dye, drill, driving age, drop, duty, dye, earlier, earliest, early, educate, eject, elder, elect, elemental, elementary, elite, emblazon, embryonic, enamel, engild, even, evening devotions, evensong, excellent, exceptional, excite, exercises, exponential, extraordinary, face, famous, fast-dye, fat, fell, fetal, figural, figurate, figurative, fine, finite, fire, fire off, first, first blush, first brightening, first glance, first impression, first inning, first lap, first move, first round, first sight, first stage, first step, first-class, first-rate, first-string, flower, flower of age, focal, for the best, fore, foregoing, forehand, foremost, formative, former, forward, foundational, fractional, fresco, front, frontal, full age, full bloom, full growth, fullgrownness, fundamental, galvanize, gambit, gestatory, get ready, get up steam, gild, glaze, gloss, grain, great, greatest, greenness, grown-upness, gun, gun for, handpicked, head, headmost, hegemonic, heyday, highest, hit, hue, humanoid, illuminate, imaginary, imbue, impair, impossible, in embryo, in its infancy, in the bud, inaugural, inceptive, inchoate, inchoative, incipient, incunabular, infant, infantile, infinite, inform, ingrain, initial, initiative, initiatory, instruct, integral, introductory, inventive, irrational, japan, juvenility, lacquer, lauds, lay on, lay on color, le premier pas, leading, legal age, legalis homo, let fly, let off, light, liturgy, load, logarithmic, logometric, magisterial, maiden, main, majority, make ready, manhood, manlihood, master, matchless, matins, mature age, maturity, meeting, morn, morning devotions, motivate, move, nascent, natal, negative, night song, none, nones, nonesuch, nonpareil, noteworthy, notify, novena, numeral, numerary, numerative, numeric, odd, office, older, opening move, optimal, optimum, ordinal, original, outstanding, overriding, overruling, paint, pair, paragon, paramount, parget, parturient, patriarchal, peak, peep of day, peerless, pelt, pepper, pick, pick off, picked, pigment, pinnacle, pioneer, pique, pistol, plug, positive, possible, postnatal, pot, potshoot, potshot, praise meeting, prayer, prayer meeting, prayers, preadamite, preceding, precurrent, predominant, preeminent, preexistent, preglacial, pregnant, prehistoric, prehuman, premier, prenatal, prepare, preponderant, prevailing, previous, pride, primal, primary, primavera, prime of life, prime song, primeval, primitive, primitiveness, primitivity, primogenial, primoprimitive, primordial, principal, prior, pristine, prize, procreative, protohistoric, protohuman, puberty, pubescence, public worship, queen, quicken, quintessence, quintessential, radical, ranking, rational, real, reciprocal, revival, revival meeting, riddle, ripe age, riper years, rudimental, rudimentary, ruling, seedtime, select, senior, service, set, sext, shade, shadow, shellac, shoot, shoot at, shoot down, slap on, slather, slop on paint, smear, smear on, snipe, sovereign, spread on, spread with, spring, springtide, springtime, stain, star, steam up, stellar, stimulate, stipple, strike, stuff with knowledge, submultiple, sunrise, sunup, supereminent, superior, superlative, supreme, surd, surpassing, take a potshot, tar, teach, tent meeting, the best, the best ever, the tops, the very best, tierce, tinct, tincture, tinge, tint, toga virilis, tone, top, topflight, torpedo, train, transcendental, tutor, undercoat, underived, undersong, unmatchable, unmatched, unparalleled, unsurpassed, uppermost, ur, varnish, very best, vesper, vespers, vestibule of Day, vigils, virility, warm up, warming-up, wash, watch meeting, watch night, watch-night service, whitewash, wind, wind up, womanhood, womanlihood, worthy, years of discretion, youth, youthfulness, zenith