PRIME

prime, premier(a)

(adjective) first in rank or degree; “an architect of premier rank”; “the prime minister”

prime

(adjective) used of the first or originating agent; “prime mover”

prime, meridian

(adjective) being at the best stage of development; “our manhood’s prime vigor”- Robert Browning

choice, prime, prize, quality, select

(adjective) of superior grade; “choice wines”; “prime beef”; “prize carnations”; “quality paper”; “select peaches”

prime

(adjective) of or relating to or being an integer that cannot be factored into other integers; “prime number”

prime, prime quantity

(noun) a natural number that has exactly two distinct natural number divisors: 1 and itself

prime, prime of life

(noun) the time of maturity when power and vigor are greatest

prime

(noun) the second canonical hour; about 6 a.m.

flower, prime, peak, heyday, bloom, blossom, efflorescence, flush

(noun) the period of greatest prosperity or productivity

prime

(verb) insert a primer into (a gun, mine, or charge) preparatory to detonation or firing; “prime a cannon”; “prime a mine”

prime

(verb) fill with priming liquid; “prime a car engine”

prime, ground, undercoat

(verb) cover with a primer; apply a primer to

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology 1

Adjective

prime (not comparable)

First in importance, degree, or rank.

Synonyms: greatest, main, most important, primary, principal, top

First in time, order, or sequence.

Synonyms: earliest, first, original

First in excellence, quality, or value.

Synonyms: excellent, top quality

(mathematics, lay) Having exactly two integral factors: itself and unity (1 in the case of integers).

(mathematics, technical) Such that if it divides a product, it divides one of the multiplicands.

(mathematics) Having its complement closed under multiplication: said only of ideals.

Marked or distinguished by the prime symbol.

Early; blooming; being in the first stage.

(obsolete) Lecherous, lewd, lustful.

Synonyms

• (having no nontrivial factors): indivisible

Hyponyms

• biprime

• pseudoprime

• semiprime

• (having exactly two integral factors): coprime

Noun

prime (plural primes)

(historical) The first hour of daylight; the first canonical hour.

(Christianity) The religious service appointed to this hour.

(obsolete) The early morning generally.

(now rare) The earliest stage of something.

The most active, thriving, or successful stage or period.

The chief or best individual or part.

(music) The first note or tone of a musical scale.

(fencing) The first defensive position, with the sword hand held at head height, and the tip of the sword at head height.

(algebra, number theory) A prime element of a mathematical structure, particularly a prime number.

(card games) A four-card hand containing one card of each suit in the game of primero; the opposite of a flush in poker.

(backgammon) Six consecutive blocks, which prevent the opponent's pieces from passing.

The symbol ′ used to indicate feet, minutes, derivation and other measures and mathematical operations.

(chemistry, obsolete) 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.

An inch, as composed of twelve seconds in the duodecimal system.

(obsolete) The priming in a flintlock.

(film) Contraction of prime lens, a film lens

Synonyms

• (early morning generally): See early morning or morning

• (most active, thriving, or successful stage or period): bloom, blossom, efflorescence, flower, flush, heyday, peak

• (chief or best individual or part): choice, prize, quality, select

• (algebra: prime element of a mathematical structure): prime number (when an integer)

Antonyms

• (algebra: prime element of a mathematical structure): composite

Hyponyms

((number theory) Prime element of a mathematical structure, particularly a prime number):

• additive prime

• annihilating prime

• Bell prime

• Carol prime

• Catalan prime

• centered decagonal prime

• centered heptagonal prime

• centered square prime

• centered triangular prime

• Chen prime

• circular prime

• cousin prime

• Cuban prime

• Cullen prime

• delannoy prime

• deletable prime

• dihedral prime

• double factorial prime

• double Mersenne prime

• Eisenstein prime without imaginary part

• emirp

• Euclid prime

• Euclid-Mullin Sequence prime

• Euler irregular prime

• even prime

• factorial prime

• Fermat prime

• Fibonacci prime

• fortunate prime

• Gaussian prime

• generalized Fermat prime base 10

• Genocchi prime

• Gilda's prime

• good prime

• happy prime

• harmonic prime

• Higgs prime for squares

• highly cototient prime

• irregular prime

• isolated prime

• Kynea prime

• left-truncatable prime

• Leyland prime

• long prime

• Lucas prime

• lucky prime

• Markov prime

• Mersenne prime

• Mills prime

• minimal prime

• Motzkin prime

• Newman–Shanks–Williams prime

• non-generous prime

• odd prime

• Padovan prime

• palindromic prime

• palindromic wing prime

• partition prime

• Pell prime

• permutable prime

• Perrin prime

• Pierpont prime

• Pillai prime

• prime of Binary Quadratic Form

• primeval prime

• primorial prime

• Proth prime

• Pythagorean prime

• Quartan prime

• Ramanujan prime

• regular prime

• repunit prime

• right-truncatable prime

• safe prime

• Schröder prime

• Schröder-Hipparchus prime

• self prime

• sexy prime

• Smarandache-Wellin prime

• Smarandache–Wellin prime

• Solinas prime

• Sophie Germain prime

• star prime

• Stern prime

• super-prime

• supersingular prime

• swinging prime

• Thabit prime

• twin prime

• two-sided prime

• Ulam prime

• unique prime

• Wagstaff prime

• Wall–Sun–Sun prime

• Weakly primes

• Wedderburn-Etherington prime

• Wieferich prime

• Wilson prime

• Wolstenholme prime

• Woodall prime

Etymology 2

Related to primage and primus.

Verb

prime (third-person singular simple present primes, present participle priming, simple past and past participle primed)

(transitive) To prepare a mechanism for its main work.

(transitive) To apply a coat of primer paint to.

(obsolete, intransitive) To be renewed.

(intransitive) To serve as priming for the charge of a gun.

(intransitive, of a steam boiler) 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.

To apply priming to (a musket or cannon); to apply a primer to (a metallic cartridge).

To prepare; to make ready; to instruct beforehand; to coach.

(UK, dialect, obsolete) To trim or prune.

(math) To mark with a prime mark.

Synonyms

• (to apply a coat of primer paint to): ground, undercoat

Etymology 3

Noun

prime (plural primes)

(cycling) An intermediate sprint within a race, usually offering a prize and/or points.

Anagrams

• emirp, imper.

Proper noun

Prime (plural Primes)

A surname.

Statistics

• According to the 2010 United States Census, Prime is the 18511^st most common surname in the United States, belonging to 1491 individuals. Prime is most common among White (69.42%) and Black/African American (23.61%) individuals.

Anagrams

• emirp, imper.

Source: Wiktionary

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Prime, a. Etym: [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. Prime and ultimate ratio. (Math.). See Ultimate.

– Prime conductor. (Elec.) See under Conductor.

– Prime factor (Arith.), a factor which is a prime number.

– Prime figure (Geom.), a figure which can not be divided into any other figure more simple than itself, as a triangle, a pyramid, etc.

– Prime meridian (Astron.), the meridian from which longitude is reckoned, as the meridian of Greenwich or Washington.

– Prime minister, the responsible head of a ministry or executive government; applied particularly to that of England.

– Prime mover. (Mech.) (a) A natural agency applied by man to the production of power. Especially: Muscular force; the weight and motion of fluids, as water and air; heat obtained by chemical combination, and applied to produce changes in the volume and pressure of steam, air, or other fluids; and electricity, obtained by chemical action, and applied to produce alternation of magnetic force. (b) An engine, or machine, the object of which is to receive and modify force and motion as supplied by some natural source, and apply them to drive other machines; as a water wheel, a water- pressure engine, a steam engine, a hot-air engine, etc. (c) Fig.: The original or the most effective force in any undertaking or work; as, Clarkson was the prime mover in English antislavery agitation.

– Prime number (Arith.), a number which is exactly divisible by no number except itself or unity, as 5, 7, 11.

– Prime vertical (Astron.), the vertical circle which passes through the east and west points of the horizon.

– Prime-vertical dial, a dial in which the shadow is projected on the plane of the prime vertical.

– Prime-vertical transit instrument, a transit instrument the telescope of which revolves in the plane of the prime vertical, -- used for observing the transit of stars over this circle.

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. Etym: [F. prime, LL. prima (sc. hora). See Prime, a.]

Definition: 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. a. 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)

Definition: The first of the chief guards.

6. (Chem.)

Definition: 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.)

Definition: 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.

Prime, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Primed; p. pr. & vb. n. Priming.] Etym: [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.)

Definition: To mark with a prime mark. To prime a pump, to charge a pump with water, in order to put it in working condition.

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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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