prime

1 of 3

noun

ˈprīm

Synonyms of prime next

often capitalized : the second of the canonical hours

: the first hour of the day usually considered either as 6 a.m. or the hour of sunrise

: the earliest stage

: spring

: youth

: the most active, thriving, or satisfying stage or period

in the prime of his life

: the chief or best individual or part : pick

prime of the flock, and choicest of the stall—

Alexander Pope

: prime number

: the first note or tone of a musical scale : tonic

: the interval between two notes on the same staff degree

: the symbol ′ used to distinguish arbitrary characters (such as a and a′), to indicate a specific unit (such as feet or minutes of time or angular measure), or to indicate the derivative of a function (such as p′ or f′(x)) compare double prime

: prime rate

prime

2 of 3

adjective

: first in time : original

: of, relating to, or being a prime number compare relatively prime

: having no polynomial factors other than itself and no monomial factors other than 1

a prime polynomial

: expressed as a product of prime factors (such as prime numbers and prime polynomials)

a prime factorization

: first in rank, authority, or significance : principal

a prime example

: having the highest quality or value

prime farmland

: of the highest grade regularly marketed

—used of meat and especially beef

: not deriving from something else : primary

primely adverb

primeness noun

prime

3 of 3

verb

primed; priming

transitive verb

: fill, load

: to prepare for firing by supplying with priming

: to insert a primer into (a cartridge case)

: to apply the first color, coating, or preparation to

prime a wall

: to put into working order by filling or charging with something

prime a pump with water

: to supply with an essential prerequisite (such as a hormone, nucleic acid, or antigen) for chemical or biological activity

primed female mice with estrogen

: to instruct beforehand : coach

primed the witness

: stimulate

intransitive verb

: to become prime

Phrases

prime the pump

: to take steps to encourage the growth or functioning of something

Example Sentences

Noun young college graduates in the prime of life The interest rate is two percent plus prime. Adjective The wine industry is of prime importance to the California economy. The police have not yet named the prime suspect in the murder investigation. The house is expensive because it's in a prime location. Verb She was obviously primed for the questions at the press conference. Both teams are primed for battle and ready to play. We sanded and primed the woodwork before painting. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There’s something funny about a greatest hits concert for someone who’s never been more in her prime, isn’t there? —

Waiss David Aramesh, Rolling Stone, 18 Mar. 2023 The cemeteries were full every weekend – adults cut down in their prime; children dying without access to treatment. —

David Mckenzie, CNN, 11 Mar. 2023 When a woman is considered to be in her prime is in her 20s ... —

Christine Rosen, National Review, 2 Mar. 2023 Few elite players in their prime have been attracted to MLS, but with the 2026 World Cup set to be played in North America, that could soon change. —

Frank Dell'apa, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Feb. 2023 First, why was Lemon Googling when a woman is in her prime? —

Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2023 When a woman is considered to be in her prime, in her 20s, and 30s, and maybe 40s. —

Julia Johnson, Washington Examiner, 22 Feb. 2023 To be fair, CNN anchor Don Lemon’s on-air tirade about when a woman is in her prime was notable for its stupidity and sexism. —

Diane Brady, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2023 The gallery of faces stares back in silence, scores of young men and exactly one young woman cut down in their prime. —

Jeffrey Gettleman Ivor Prickett, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2023

Adjective

At the beginning of each year, Houstonians count down the days to prime crawfish season. —

Lauren Mcdowell, Chron, 28 Mar. 2023 For a fine dining experience that will satisfy both seafood lovers and more carnivorous travelers, reserve a seat at Bob’s Steak & Chop House, known for generous cuts of prime steaks. —

Jessica Poitevien, Travel + Leisure, 28 Mar. 2023 In June, Palisades will close for work on a sizable project the resort says needs to take place, despite the prime skiing conditions. —

Chris Morris, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2023 The Great Lakes region is prime hunting territory for the elusive mushroom, with both Michigan and Wisconsin playing host to festivals dedicated to it — the National Morel Mushroom Festival in Boyne City, Mich. —

Chelsey Lewis, Journal Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2023 At the time of his death, Varnish was working as the managing director and global head of prime services risk at Credit Suisse, his obituary said. —

Greg Norman, Fox News, 28 Mar. 2023 Produced by the Louisville Pride Foundation, a $150 VIP Experience is also available and includes prime seating for a table of six, $50 in food and drink tickets and a special swag bag. —

Kirby Adams, The Courier-Journal, 27 Mar. 2023 Reserve Primary was a prime fund, meaning it was allowed to hold corporate debt, which is more risky than government securities. —

Larry Edelman, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Mar. 2023 As historic storms fill once-dry Tulare Lake and submerge prime California farmland, tensions are building over how to handle the swiftly rising floodwaters. —

Kenya Romero, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2023

Verb

Couple that with a social media environment that encourages performative, idealized representations of everyone’s lives, and rejection is primed to sting more than ever. —

Holly Thomas, CNN, 29 Mar. 2023 Black trainers, riders, and grooms were so central to pre-Civil War American racing that, more perhaps than any other single occupation, they were primed to succeed in the post-emancipation era. —

Emily Bingham, The Courier-Journal, 17 Mar. 2023 You’re primed to be your most efficient self with Mercury currently in your 6th House of Efficiency and making a positive angle to Pluto in your 4th House of Home. —

Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2023 While the interior – spanning 3,434 square feet and holding four bedrooms – is primed for fun or relaxation, so are the grounds. —

Allie Beth Allman & Associates, Dallas News, 12 Mar. 2023 Mexi-go As the world embarks on a seismic shift to electric vehicles, Mexico is primed to reap the benefits. —

Eamon Barrett, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2023 The Miller twins, Damien and Damon, are primed for feature roles in their final year and redshirt freshmen AJ Brown and Carl Fauntroy Jr. have an opportunity to prove their early potential. —

Evan Dudley, al, 8 Mar. 2023 And the workplace is primed for progress. —

Chuck Wisner, Quartz, 7 Mar. 2023 However, decades of aggressive wildfire suppression that began in the 20th century led to a buildup of vegetation in forests that was primed to burn. —

Elena Shao, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prime.' 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

Noun

Middle English, going back to Old English prīm, borrowed from Medieval Latin prīma (short for Latin prīma hōra "first hour"), from feminine of Latin prīmus "first, earliest"; in senses other than sense 1 borrowed in part from Latin prīmum "first part, beginning stages" (in plural prīma) or prīmus "notable person, leading citizen," noun derivatives of prīmus, adjective — more at prime entry 2

Adjective

Middle English, "first, original, in an initial stage," borrowed from Anglo-French, originally feminine of prim "first, earliest, original, main, most important," going back to Latin prīmus "first" (ordinal corresponding to ūnus "one, foremost, earliest, of first importance, of the highest quality,") going back to earlier *prīsmos, syncopated from *prīsomos, from dialectal Indo-European *pri "in front, before" + *-is-m̥mo-, superlative suffix (from *-is-, comparative suffix + *-m̥mo-, superlative suffix) — more at prior entry 2

Note: The combined comparative-superlative suffix *-is-m̥mo- as a productive superlative suffix is peculiar to Italic and Celtic. The assumption that *-is-m̥mo- yields *-isomo- in Latin (rather than *-em- or *-am-) is based on Michael Weiss, Outline of the Historical and Comparative Grammar of Latin (Beech Stave Press, 2011), p. 105. (Weiss suggests as a prime example homō "man, human," from *ǵhm̥mō.)

Verb

of uncertain origin

Note: Possibly a derivative of prime entry 2, if priming something was taken to mean performing an essential preliminary stage. However, if early uses meaning simply "to load, fill" (earliest in Scots, in Gavin Douglas's translation of the Aeneid, 1513) are the original senses, the painting and weapons senses may be by secondary association with prime entry 2 and its etymons. Supporting the hypothesis of an original meaning "load" would be the apparent derivative primage "money paid by a shipper to a captain for care of the cargo," attested as English in 1476, and as Latin primagium as early as 1297. Compare in the same sense prime-gilt (earliest in Scots, 1576), alongside Middle High German primegelt, primgelt (1468) and Middle Dutch priemgelt (1460), with gelt "money." However, none of these words lead any closer to the origin of the English verb.

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1513, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of prime was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Prime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prime. Accessed 31 Mar. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

prime

1 of 3 noun

ˈprīm

: the first part : the earliest stage

: the most vigorous, prosperous, or satisfying stage or period

in the prime of one's life

: the best individual or part

: prime number

: the symbol ′

prime

2 of 3 adjective

: first in time : original

: of, relating to, or being a prime number

: expressed as a product of prime factors

the prime factorization of 12 is 2 · 2 · 3

: first in rank or importance

our prime responsibility

: being highest in quality or value

prime farmland

: of the highest grade of meat

prime beef

prime

3 of 3 verb

primed; priming

: to get ready for firing by putting in priming

prime a rifle

: to put a first color or coating on (an unpainted surface)

: to put into working order by filling

prime a pump

: to make (someone) ready to do something

teams primed to win

Etymology

Noun

Old English prīm "a religious service for the first hour of the day," from Latin prima (hora) "first (hour)," from primus "first" — related to premier, prima donna, primeval, prince