PRIMARY

primary

(adjective) not derived from or reducible to something else; basic; “a primary instinct”

main, chief(a), primary, principal, master

(adjective) most important element; “the chief aim of living”; “the main doors were of solid glass”; “the principal rivers of America”; “the principal example”; “policemen were primary targets”; “the master bedroom”; “a master switch”

primary

(adjective) of first rank or importance or value; direct and immediate rather than secondary; “primary goals”; “a primary effect”; “primary sources”; “a primary interest”

elementary, elemental, primary, basal

(adjective) of or being the essential or basic part; “an elementary need for love and nurturing”; “a basal reader”

primary, primary election

(noun) a preliminary election where delegates or nominees are chosen

primary, primary feather, primary quill

(noun) one of the main flight feathers projecting along the outer edge of a bird’s wing

primary

(noun) (astronomy) a celestial body (especially a star) relative to other objects in orbit around it

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Adjective

primary (comparative more primary, superlative most primary)

first or earliest in a group or series.

main; principal; chief; placed ahead of others.

(geology) Earliest formed; fundamental.

(chemistry) Illustrating, possessing, or characterized by, some quality or property in the first degree; having undergone the first stage of substitution or replacement.

(medicine) Relating to the place where a disorder or disease started to occur.

(medicine) Relating to day-to-day care provided by health professionals such as nurses, general practitioners, dentists etc.

Noun

primary (plural primaries)

A primary election; a preliminary election to select a political candidate of a political party.

The first year of grade school.

A base or fundamental component; something that is irreducible.

The most massive component of a gravitationally bound system, such as a planet in relation to its satellites.

A primary school.

(ornithology) Any flight feather attached to the manus (hand) of a bird.

A primary colour.

(medicine) Primary site of disease; original location or source of the disease.

(electronics) A directly driven inductive coil, as in a transformer or induction motor that is magnetically coupled to a secondary

Verb

primary (third-person singular simple present primaries, present participle primarying, simple past and past participle primaried)

(US, politics, transitive, intransitive) To challenge (an incumbent sitting politician) for their political party's endorsement to run for re-election, through running a challenger campaign in a primary election, especially one that is more ideologically extreme.

(US, intransitive, transitive) To take part in a primary election.

Source: Wiktionary

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Pri"ma*ry, a. Etym: [L. primarius, fr. primus first: cf. F. primaire. See Prime, a., and cf. Premier, Primero.]

1. First in order of time or development or in intention; primitive; fundamental; original. The church of Christ, in its primary institution. Bp. Pearson. These I call original, or primary, qualities of body. Locke.

2. First in order, as being preparatory to something higher; as, primary assemblies; primary schools.

3. First in dignity or importance; chief; principal; as, primary planets; a matter of primary importance.

4. (Geol.)

Definition: Earliest formed; fundamental.

5. (Chem.)

Definition: Illustrating, possessing, or characterized by, some quality or property in the first degree; having undergone the first stage of substitution or replacement. Primary alcohol (Organic Chem.), any alcohol which possess the group CH2.OH, and can be oxidized so as to form a corresponding aldehyde and acid having the same number of carbon atoms; -- distinguished from secondary and tertiary alcohols.

– Primary amine (Chem.), an amine containing the amido group, or a derivative of ammonia in which only one atom of hydrogen has been replaced by a basic radical; -- distinguished from secondary and tertiary amines.

– Primary amputation (Surg.), an amputation for injury performed as soon as the shock due to the injury has passed away, and before symptoms of inflammation supervene.

– Primary axis (Bot.), the main stalk which bears a whole cluster of flowers.

– Primary colors. See under Color.

– Primary meeting, a meeting of citizens at which the first steps are taken towards the nomination of candidates, etc. See Caucus.

– Primary pinna (Bot.), one of those portions of a compound leaf or frond which branch off directly from the main rhachis or stem, whether simple or compounded.

– Primary planets. (Astron.) See the Note under Planet.

– Primary qualities of bodies, such are essential to and inseparable from them.

– Primary quills (Zoöl.), the largest feathers of the wing of a bird; primaries.

– Primary rocks (Geol.), a term early used for rocks supposed to have been first formed, being crystalline and containing no organic remains, as granite, gneiss, etc.; -- called also primitive rocks. The terms Secondary, Tertiary, and Quaternary rocks have also been used in like manner, but of these the last two only are now in use.

– Primary salt (Chem.), a salt derived from a polybasic acid in which only one acid hydrogen atom has been replaced by a base or basic radical.

– Primary syphilis (Med.), the initial stage of syphilis, including the period from the development of the original lesion or chancre to the first manifestation of symptoms indicative of general constitutional infection.

– Primary union (Surg.), union without suppuration; union by the first intention.

Pri"ma*ry, n.; pl. Primaries (.

1. That which stands first in order, rank, or importance; a chief matter.

2. A primary meeting; a caucus.

3. (Zoöl.)

Definition: One of the large feathers on the distal joint of a bird's wing. See Plumage, and Illust. of Bird.

4. (Astron.)

Definition: A primary planet; the brighter component of a double star. See under Planet.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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