- prim|i|tive
- prim|i|tive «PRIHM uh tihv», adjective, noun.–adj.2. first of the kind: »
primitive Christians.
3. very simple; such as people had early in human history: »A primitive way of making a fire is by rubbing two sticks together. A trip to Africa opened their eyes to primitive art (Time).
5. Biology. a) primordial. b) representing or related to an ancient group or species.–n.1. an artist belonging to an early period, especially before the Renaissance.2. a) an artist who does not use the techniques of perspective, shading, or the like in painting. b) any artist who lacks artistic training or sophistication: »The Civil War photographers…were often called primitives, meaning that they were innocent of a sense of themselves as fine artists (John Szarkowski).
c) a work produced by such an artist: »The shows include an exhibition of modern French and Dutch primitives (New Yorker).
3. a person living in a primitive society or in primitive times.4. an algebraic or geometrical expression from which another is derived.5. a word from which another is derived.╂[< Latin prīmitīvus < prīmitiae first things, first fruits < prīmus first]–prim´i|tive|ly, adverb.–prim´i|tive|ness, noun.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.
