primary

1 of 3

adjective

pri·​ma·​ry ˈprī-ˌmer-ē How to pronounce primary (audio) ˈprī-mə-rē How to pronounce primary (audio)
ˈprīm-rē
1
: first in order of time or development : primitive
the primary stage of civilization
the primary lesion of a disease
2
a
: of first rank, importance, or value : principal
the primary purpose
b
: basic, fundamental
security is a primary need
c
: of, relating to, or constituting the principal flight feathers of a bird's wing
d
: of or relating to agriculture, forestry, and the extractive industries or their products
e
: expressive of present or future time
primary tense
f
: of, relating to, or constituting the strongest of the three or four degrees of stress recognized by most linguists
the first syllable of basketball carries primary stress
3
a
: direct, firsthand
primary sources of information
b
: not derivable from other colors, odors, or tastes
c
: preparatory to something else in a continuing process
primary instruction
d
: of or relating to a primary school
primary education
e
: of or relating to a primary election
a primary candidate
f
: belonging to the first group or order in successive divisions, combinations, or ramifications
primary nerves
g
: directly derived from ores
primary metals
h
: of, relating to, or being the amino acid sequence in proteins
primary protein structure
4
: resulting from the substitution of one of two or more atoms or groups in a molecule
a primary amine
especially : being or characterized by a carbon atom having a bond to only one other carbon atom
5
: of, relating to, involving, or derived from primary meristem
primary tissue
primary growth
6
: of, relating to, or involved in the production of organic substances by green plants
primary productivity
7
: providing primary care
a primary physician

primary

2 of 3

noun

plural primaries
1
: something that stands first in rank, importance, or value : fundamental
usually used in plural
2
: the celestial body around which one or more other celestial bodies revolve
especially : the more massive usually brighter component of a binary star system
3
: one of the usually 9 or 10 strong flight feathers on the distal joint of a bird's wing see wing illustration
4
b
: the sensation of seeing primary colors
5
a
: caucus
b
: an election in which qualified voters nominate or express a preference for a particular candidate or group of candidates for political office, choose party officials, or select delegates for a party convention
6
: the coil that is connected to the source of electricity in an induction coil or transformer

called also primary coil

primary

3 of 3

verb

primaried; primarying; primaries

transitive verb

: to run against (an incumbent) in a primary election
She won the seat in 2020 after successfully primarying a veteran Democrat in the district.Brianne Pfannenstiel
usually used in the passive
But he's apparently going to be primaried—by a couple of people you've never heard of …Gail Collins
He served a single term … but was primaried, and soundly defeated, in his bid for reelection.Daniel Foster

Examples of primary in a Sentence

Adjective The economy was the primary focus of the debate. The family is the primary social unit of human life. The primary function of our schools is to educate our young people. We just started our primary flight training. The book is based mainly on primary sources rather than secondary sources.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Aiming for orbital speeds SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said a primary goal of these early test flights is to get Starship to orbital speeds — velocities quick enough to allow the spacecraft to enter a stable orbit around Earth. Jackie Wattles, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 It’s got three bedrooms — including a primary suite with a walk-in closet and en-suite bath — and three baths in total, and is one of just 11 residences in a luxury boutique building, which boasts a 24-hour doorman. Degen Pener, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 Biden and Trump were also expected to pick up primary victories later in the evening in the nation's westernmost state, Hawaii. USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024 The two met at a festival and married last September in Aspen, Colo., not too far from their primary residence, a 23,000-square-foot estate in the Denver suburb of Cherry Hills. Katie Bain, Billboard, 13 Mar. 2024 The primary suite takes up nearly an entire wing of the house and offers dual bathrooms, a private sun room, and an office. Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024 This is what’s at stake on Chicago’s March 19 primary ballot. Micky Horstman, National Review, 13 Mar. 2024 Acadia’s schizophrenia drug fails in pivotal study Acadia Pharmaceuticals’ treatment for schizophrenia missed its primary goal in a pivotal study, the company said yesterday, pointing to an unexpectedly strong placebo effect. Damian Garde, STAT, 12 Mar. 2024 Rent of primary residences, on the other hand, climbed slightly more quickly, at 0.5 percent on a monthly basis, compared with 0.4 percent in January. Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024
Noun
The Coalition for Justice in Palestine — the group that led the letter just days before the Illinois primary — includes several of Chicago's main Arab and Palestinian groups. Jamie Joseph, Fox News, 15 Mar. 2024 At issue is a message sent to thousands of New Hampshire voters on Jan. 21 featured a voice similar to Biden’s falsely suggesting that voting in the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary two days later would preclude them from casting ballots in November. Holly Ramer, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 The April election will also include the presidential primary. Alex Groth, Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2024 Also in the news: Wins in presidential primaries gave former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden the necessary delegates to become their parties' nominees. USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2024 Four years ago in a March 3 presidential primary, the turnout was a bit higher: 47%. George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Turner finished comfortably in second place and the lawsuit was dropped a few days after the March 5 primary. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024 Trump himself is on Ohio's March 19 ballot, but the Buckeye State won't have much of a role to play in the presidential primary. Haley Bemiller, The Enquirer, 12 Mar. 2024 Up next on this Super-ish Tuesday: Georgia, Hawaii’s Republican presidential caucuses, Mississippi, Washington, the Northern Mariana Islands Democratic primary and the Democrats Abroad presidential primary — which allows Americans living outside the US to cast their ballots. Andrew Torgan, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024
Verb
Another fight erupted in 2004, when the mayor of Jersey City recruited Steven Fulop to try to primary Mr. Menendez. Nicholas Fandos, New York Times, 27 Sep. 2023 New district lines have forced incumbents to primary each other in Michigan, Georgia and West Virginia. Arit John, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2022 In his recent memoir, Hogan claims that members of Trump's cabinet asked him to primary the president. Tyler Olson, Fox News, 23 Sep. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'primary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English primarye, primary "original, earliest," borrowed from Latin prīmārius "of the highest importance or station (of persons), first-rate, chief" (Late Latin, "original, lying at the beginning," Medieval Latin, "foremost, leading"), from prīmus "first, foremost, earliest, of first importance" + -ārius -ary entry 2 — more at prime entry 2

Noun

in part borrowed from Late Latin prīmārius "person leading, leader," noun derivative of Latin prīmārius "of the highest importance or station, chief, primary entry 1"; in part noun derivative of primary entry 1, or shortened from collocations with the adjective; (sense 5) shortened from primary election, earlier primary assembly, translation of French assemblée primaire

Verb

derivative of primary entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1958, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of primary was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near primary

Cite this Entry

“Primary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primary. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

primary

1 of 2 adjective
1
: first in time or development : initial, primitive
the primary stage of a civilization
2
a
: of first rank, importance, or value
our primary duties
b
: basic entry 1 sense 1, fundamental
the family is the primary unit of human association
c
: of, relating to, or being one of the principal flight feathers of a bird's wing located on the outer joint
d
: of, relating to, or being the strongest of three levels of stress in pronunciation
3
a
: not made or coming from something else : firsthand
a primary source of information
b
: of, relating to, or being the current or circuit that is connected to the source of electricity in an induction coil or transformer

primary

2 of 2 noun
plural primaries
1
: one of the usually nine or ten strong flight feathers on the outer joint of a bird's wing
2
3
: an election in which members of a political party nominate candidates for office
4
: the coil that is connected to the source of electricity in an induction coil or transformer

called also primary coil

Medical Definition

primary

1 of 2 adjective
1
a(1)
: first in order of time or development
(2)
: relating to or being the milk teeth and especially the 20 milk teeth in the human set
b(1)
: arising spontaneously : idiopathic
primary insomnia
the absence of any pelvic abnormality confirmed the diagnosis of primary dysmenorrhea
(2)
: being an initial tumor or site especially of cancer
efforts to find the primary tumor have failedRaphael Feinmesser
c
: providing primary care
a primary physician
2
: not derivable from other colors, odors, or tastes
3
: belonging to the first group or order in successive divisions, combinations, or ramifications
primary nerves
4
: of, relating to, or being the amino acid sequence in proteins
primary protein structure
compare secondary sense 3, tertiary entry 2 sense 2c
5
: resulting from the substitution of one of two or more atoms or groups in a molecule
especially : being or characterized by a carbon atom having a bond to only one other carbon atom

primary

2 of 2 noun
plural primaries

Legal Definition

primary

1 of 2 adjective
pri·​ma·​ry ˈprī-ˌmer-ē, -mə-rē How to pronounce primary (audio)
1
: of first rank, value, or importance
2
: belonging to the first group or order in successive divisions, combinations, or ramifications
primarily adverb

primary

2 of 2 noun
plural primaries
1
: caucus
2
: an election in which qualified voters nominate or express a preference for a particular candidate or group of candidates for political office, choose party officials, or select delegates for a party convention

More from Merriam-Webster on primary

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