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Webster 1913 Edition

Prime

Prime

,
Adj.
[F., fr. L.
primus
first, a superl. corresponding to the compar.
prior
former. See
Prior
,
Adj.
,
Foremost
,
Former
, and cf.
Prim
,
Adj.
,
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.
☞ In this sense the word is nearly superseded by primitive, except in the phrase prime cost.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.

In this dictionary the same typographic mark is used to indicate a weak accent in headwords, and minutes of a degree in angle measurements.
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

,
Noun.
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.
[F.
prime
, LL.
prima
(sc.
hora
). See
Prime
,
Adj.
]
The morning; specifically
(R. C. Ch.)
, the first canonical hour, succeeding to lauds.
Early and late it rung, at evening and at
prime
.
Spenser.
☞ 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. m.
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)
The first of the chief guards.
6.
(Chem.)
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.)
A prime number. See under
Prime
,
Adj.
8.
An inch, as composed of twelve seconds in the duodecimal system; – denoted by [´]. See 2d
Inch
,
Noun.
, 1.
Prime of the moon
,
the new moon at its first appearance.

Prime

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Primed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Priming
.]
[From
Prime
,
Adj.
]
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.)
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

,
Verb.
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.

Webster 1828 Edition

Prime

PRIME

,
Adj.
[L. primus.]
1.
First in order of time; original; as prime fathers; prime creation.
In this sense, the use of the word is nearly superseded by primitive, except in the phrase, prime cost.
2.
First in rank, degree or dignity; as prime minister.
3.
First in excellence; as prime wheat; cloth of a prime quality. Humility and resignation are prime virtues.
4.
Early; blooming.
His starry helm unbuckl'd, showed him prime
In manhood, where youth ended.
5.
First in value or importance.
Prime number, in arithmetic, a number which is divisible only by unity, as 5.7.ll.
Prime figure, in geometry, a figure which cannot be divided into any other figure more simple than itself, as a triangle, a pyramid, &c.

PRIME

,
Noun.
The first opening of day; the dawn; the morning.
Early and late it rung, at evening and at prime.
The sweet hour of prime.
1.
The beginning; the early days.
In the very prime of the world.
2.
The spring of the year.
Hope waits upon the flower prime.
3.
The spring of life; youth; hence, full health, strength or beauty.
That crop the golden prime of this sweet prince.
The prime of youth.
4.
The best part.
Give him always of the prime.
5.
The utmost perfection.
The plants--would have been all in prime.
6.
In the Romish church,the first canonical hour, succeeding to lauds.
7.
In fencing, the first of the chief guards.
8.
In chimistry, primes are numbers employed, in conformity with the doctrine of definite proportions, to express the ratios in which bodies enter into combination. Primes duly arranged in a table, constitute a scale of chimical equivalents. They also express the ratios of the weights of atoms, according to the atomic theory.
Prime of the moon, the new moon, when it first appears after the change.
vertical, the vertical circle which passes through the poles of the meridian, or the east and west points of the horizon. Dials projected on the plane of this circle, are called prime vertical or north and south dials.

PRIME

,
Verb.
T.
To put powder in the pan of a musket or other fire-arm; or to lay a train of powder for communicating fire to a charge.
1.
To lay on the first color in painting.

PRIME

,
Verb.
I.
To serve for the charge of a gun.

Definition 2024

prime

prime

See also: primé

English

Pronunciation

  • enPR: prīm, IPA(key): /pɹaɪ̯m/
  • Rhymes: -aɪm

Adjective

prime ‎(not comparable)

  1. First in importance, degree, or rank.
    Our prime concern here is to keep the community safe.
  2. First in time, order, or sequence.
    Both the English and French governments established prime meridians in their capitals.
    • Tennyson
      prime forests
    • Milton
      She was not the prime cause, but I myself.
  3. First in excellence, quality, or value.
    This is a prime location for a bookstore.
    • Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit
      'Is it very pleasant to be there, Bob?'
      'Prime,' said the turnkey.
  4. (mathematics, lay) Having exactly two integral factors: itself and unity (1 in the case of integers).
    Thirteen is a prime number.
  5. (mathematics, technical) Such that if it divides a product, it divides one of the multiplicands.
  6. (mathematics) Having its complement closed under multiplication: said only of ideals.
  7. Marked or distinguished by the prime symbol.
  8. Early; blooming; being in the first stage.
    • Milton
      His starry helm, unbuckled, showed him prime / In manhood where youth ended.
  9. (obsolete) Lecherous; lustful; lewd.
    • Shakespeare (Othello [III.iii 402-5])
      It is impossible you should see this, / Were they as prime as goats, as hot as monkeys, / As salt as wolves in pride, and fools as gross / As ignorance made drunk.
Synonyms

Derived terms

  • (having exactly two integral factors): coprime
Related terms
Translations

Noun

prime ‎(plural primes)

  1. (Christianity, historical) One of the daily offices of prayer of the Western Church, associated with the early morning (typically 6 a.m.).
    • Spenser
      Early and late it rung, at evening and at prime.
  2. (obsolete) The early morning.
  3. (now rare) The earliest stage of something.
    • Hooker
      in the very prime of the world
    • Waller
      Hope waits upon the flowery prime.
  4. The most active, thriving, or successful stage or period.
  5. The chief or best individual or part.
    • Jonathan Swift
      Give him always of the prime.
  6. (music) The first note or tone of a musical scale.
  7. (fencing) The first defensive position, with the sword hand held at head height, and the tip of the sword at head height.
  8. (algebra, number theory) A prime element of a mathematical structure, particularly a prime number.
    • 2013 July-August, Sarah Glaz, “Ode to Prime Numbers”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4:
      Some poems, echoing the purpose of early poetic treatises on scientific principles, attempt to elucidate the mathematical concepts that underlie prime numbers. Others play with primes’ cultural associations. Still others derive their structure from mathematical patterns involving primes.
    3 is a prime.‎
  9. (card games) A four-card hand containing one card of each suit in the game of primero; the opposite of a flush in poker.
  10. (backgammon) Six consecutive blocks, which prevent the opponent's pieces from passing.
    I'm threatening to build a prime here.‎
  11. The symbol ′
  12. (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.
  13. An inch, as composed of twelve seconds in the duodecimal system.
Synonyms

Antonyms

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

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

Origin uncertain; perhaps related to primage.

Pronunciation

  • enPR: prīm, IPA(key): /pɹaɪ̯m/
  • Rhymes: -aɪm

Verb

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

  1. (transitive) To prepare a mechanism for its main work.
    You'll have to press this button twice to prime the fuel pump.
  2. (transitive) To apply a coat of primer paint to.
    I need to prime these handrails before we can apply the finish coat.
  3. (obsolete, intransitive) To be renewed.
    • Quarles
      Night's bashful empress, though she often wane, / As oft repeats her darkness, primes again.
  4. (intransitive) To serve as priming for the charge of a gun.
  5. (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.
  6. To apply priming to (a musket or cannon); to apply a primer to (a metallic cartridge).
  7. To prepare; to make ready; to instruct beforehand; to coach.
    to prime a witness
    The boys are primed for mischief.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Thackeray to this entry?)
  8. (Britain, dialect, obsolete) To trim or prune.
    to prime trees
  9. (mathematics) To mark with a prime mark.
Synonyms
Translations

Derived terms

Related terms

See also

Etymology 3

From French prime ‎(“reward, prize, bonus”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pɹiːm/
  • Rhymes: -iːm

Noun

prime ‎(plural primes)

  1. (cycling) An intermediate sprint within a race, usually offering a prize and/or points.
    • 1997 Arnie Baker, Smart Cycling: Successful Training and Racing for Riders of All Levels
      Most primes are won with gaps on the field; most sprints are in bunches.

French

Etymology

From the feminine of Old French prim, prin, from Latin prīmus, from earlier prīsmos < *prīsemos < Proto-Italic *priisemos.

Pronunciation

Noun

prime f ‎(plural primes)

  1. reward; prize; bonus

Anagrams

Interlingua

Adjective

prime

  1. first

Italian

Adjective

prime

  1. feminine plural of primo

Anagrams

Latin

Numeral

prīme

  1. vocative masculine singular of prīmus

References

Romanian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈpri.me]

Adjective

prime

  1. feminine plural nominative form of prim
  2. feminine plural accusative form of prim
  3. neuter plural nominative form of prim
  4. neuter plural accusative form of prim

Spanish

Verb

prime

  1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of primar.
  2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of primar.
  3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of primar.

Tarantino

Adjective

prime

  1. first

Etymology

Borrowing from French prime, from Latin primus ‎(“first”), from earlier prīsmos < *prīsemos < Proto-Italic *priisemos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- ‎(“beyond, before”).

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