Main Entry: ¹prime

Pronunciation: \ˈprīm\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English prīm, 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