primary

adj. & n.
—adj.
1 a of the first importance; chief (that is our primary concern). b fundamental, basic.
2 earliest, original; first in a series.
3 of the first rank in a series; not derived (the primary meaning of a word).
4 designating any of the colours red, green, and blue, or for pigments red, blue, and yellow, from which all other colours can be obtained by mixing.
5 (of a battery or cell) generating electricity by irreversible chemical reaction.
6 (of education) for young children, esp. below the age of 11.
7 (Primary) Geol. of the lowest series of strata.
8 Biol. belonging to the first stage of development.
9 (of an industry or source of production) concerned with obtaining or using raw materials.
10 Gram. (of a tense in Latin and Greek) present, future, perfect, or future perfect (cf. HISTORIC).
—n. (pl. -ies)
1 a thing that is primary.
2 (in full primary election) (in the US) a preliminary election to appoint delegates to a party conference or to select the candidates for a principal (esp. presidential) election.
3 = primary planet.
4 (Primary) Geol. the Primary period.
5 = primary feather.
6 = primary coil.
Phrases and idioms:
primary coil a coil to which current is supplied in a transformer. primary feather a large flight-feather of a bird's wing. primary planet a planet that directly orbits the sun (cf. secondary planet). primary school a school where young children are taught, esp. below the age of 11.
Derivatives:
primarily adv.
Etymology: ME f. L primarius f. primus first