prime

1 of 3

noun

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 stallAlexander Pope
5
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 (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
8

prime

2 of 3

adjective

1
: first in time : original
2
a
: of, relating to, or being a prime number compare relatively prime
b
: having no polynomial factors other than itself and no monomial factors other than 1
a prime polynomial
c
: expressed as a product of prime factors (such as prime numbers and prime polynomials)
a prime factorization
3
a
: first in rank, authority, or significance : principal
a prime example
b
: having the highest quality or value
prime farmland
c
: of the highest grade regularly marketed
used of meat and especially beef
4
: not deriving from something else : primary
primely adverb
primeness noun

prime

3 of 3

verb

primed; priming

transitive verb

1
: fill, load
2
a
: to prepare for firing by supplying with priming
b
: to insert a primer into (a cartridge case)
3
: to apply the first color, coating, or preparation to
prime a wall
4
a
: to put into working order by filling or charging with something
prime a pump with water
b
: to supply with an essential prerequisite (such as a hormone, nucleic acid, or antigen) for chemical or biological activity
primed female mice with estrogen
5
: to instruct beforehand : coach
primed the witness
6

intransitive verb

: to become prime
Phrases
prime the pump
: to take steps to encourage the growth or functioning of something

Examples of prime in a Sentence

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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The board's role is to help decide which buildings to keep and update — and which ones not to — to avoid wasting money on upkeep of spaces that are past their prime. Journal Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2024 Female whales that go through menopause have longer lifespans than those that don’t, surviving decades past their reproductive prime, according to the study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Mar. 2024 Steve Lawrence, the mellow baritone nightclub, television and recording star who with his wife and partner, the soprano Eydie Gorme, kept pop standards in vogue long past their prime and took America on musical walks down memory lane for a half-century, died on Thursday at his home in Los Angeles. Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 At 26, the winger is nearing the prime of his career and is hoping to add to the one international appearance to his name. Vitas Carosella, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 There is hope Yamamoto, 25, is entering the prime of his career, as well, making his move to MLB just in time to take another step forward in his career. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2024 At 27 and still in the prime of his career, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is already on Canton’s doorstep. Ryan McFadden, The Denver Post, 11 Feb. 2024 There's plenty to do, with a lighthouse and nature center to visit and prime paddling on the Intracoastal side of the island. Tracey Minkin, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2024 The forecast for Big Bear Lake called for a winter storm watch from Friday night through Sunday afternoon — prime pipping time. Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Jobs asked Arnault, the founder and CEO of LVMH, for his advice on opening Apple Stores in the same areas as Louis Vuitton’s prime retail locations. Jasmine Li, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024 The delicate color is prime for spring and the bright pastel colors that routinely turn up, and these Good American Good Skate Jeans have a roomy wide-leg silhouette, which can also be traced to many A-Listers. Alyssa Grabinski, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 There are many things to blame for this, and high interest rates hiking up loan payments for buyers, is prime among them. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 4 Mar. 2024 The underpayment rate is high - and is 3% above the federal short-term rate (typically tied to prime). Guinevere Moore, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The captain of the ship nimbly repositioned us, giving both the port and starboard sides prime viewing, at a safe and respectful distance from the animals. Susan B. Barnes, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Feb. 2024 The globe's biggest theater chain last summer dropped its plan to charge more for movie seats in prime locations, after testing the practice to negative reviews in three states. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2024 But because of the restaurant’s prime location along the Milwaukee River, the future name will likely have a nod to the water. Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 The restaurant chain has prime rib on the menu starting Valentine's Day through Feb. 18. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
Voters seem primed to recognize that accomplishment. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 4 Mar. 2024 You are primed to be taken in by the tricks and techniques being employed. Lance Eliot, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Nervous software engineer Jess, who was considered for elimination, now seems primed for a redemption storyline about defeating her anxieties. Brian Anthony Hernandez, Peoplemag, 29 Feb. 2024 Some styles are best worn layered, like Diotima’s beaded tank, making the exposure far more palatable for your commute, while others, like Staud’s crochet dress or Calle Del Mar’s sequin skirt are primed for sandy getaways—swimsuits sold separately. Talia Abbas, Vogue, 23 Feb. 2024 Julio Urías was primed for the role last year, only to underperform through the summer before missing the stretch run following an arrest for suspicion of domestic violence in September. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2024 Milan is motor memory—a sequence of dance moves that primes the next, lyrics that form on my lips before my brain even wipes off their dust. Kristina Kasparian, Longreads, 6 Feb. 2024 Goldman Sachs insiders and Wall Street analysts believed her 30-year career at the firm primed her to become its first woman chief financial officer. Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2024 That dynamic results in an escalating spiral that leaves both sides primed for war. Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024

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

Dictionary Entries Near prime

Cite this Entry

“Prime.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prime. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

prime

1 of 3 noun
1
: the first part : the earliest stage
2
: the most vigorous, prosperous, or satisfying stage or period
in the prime of one's life
3
: the best individual or part
4
5
: the symbol ′

prime

2 of 3 adjective
1
: first in time : original
2
a
: of, relating to, or being a prime number
b
: expressed as a product of prime factors
the prime factorization of 12 is 2 · 2 · 3
3
a
: first in rank or importance
our prime responsibility
b
: being highest in quality or value
prime farmland
c
: of the highest grade of meat
prime beef

prime

3 of 3 verb
primed; priming
1
: to get ready for firing by putting in priming
prime a rifle
2
: to put a first color or coating on (an unpainted surface)
3
: to put into working order by filling
prime a pump
4
: 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

Legal Definition

prime

1 of 2 noun

prime

2 of 2 transitive verb
primed; priming
: to have priority over
a perfected security interest primes an unperfected one

More from Merriam-Webster on prime

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