Prime
English Meaning
First in order of time; original; primeval; primitive; primary.
- First in excellence, quality, or value. See Usage Note at perfect.
- First in degree or rank; chief. See Synonyms at chief.
- First or early in time, order, or sequence; original.
- Of the highest U.S. government grade of meat.
- Mathematics Of, relating to, or being a prime number.
- The earliest hours of the day; dawn.
- The first season of the year; spring.
- The age of ideal physical perfection and intellectual vigor.
- The period or phase of ideal or peak condition. See Synonyms at bloom1.
- The first position of thrust and parry in fencing.
- A mark (ʹ) appended above and to the right of a character, especially:
- One used to distinguish different values of the same variable in a mathematical expression.
- One used to represent a unit of measurement, such as feet or minutes in latitude and longitude.
- Ecclesiastical The second of the seven canonical hours. No longer in liturgical use.
- Ecclesiastical The time appointed for this service, the first hour of the day or 6 A.M.
- Mathematics A prime number.
- A prime rate.
- See primitive.
- To make ready; prepare: guard dogs primed for attack.
- To prepare (a gun or mine) for firing by inserting a charge of gunpowder or a primer.
- To prepare for operation, as by pouring water into a pump or gasoline into a carburetor.
- To prepare (a surface) for painting by covering with size, primer, or an undercoat.
- To inform or instruct beforehand; coach.
- To become prepared for future action or operation.
- prime the pump Informal To encourage the growth or action of something.