primary

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   Most important; main.

   Our primary concern is to keep everyone safe.

2. 2
   adj

   First or earliest in a series, especially in education.

   Children go to primary school before secondary school.

3. 3
   noun

   An early election to choose a political party's candidate.

   He won the party's primary and will run for president.

Common collocations

• primary school Adjective + noun

Borrowed from Latin prīmārius (“of the first (rank); chief, principal; excellent”), from prīmus (first; whence the English adjective prime) + -ārius (whence the English suffix -ary); compare the French primaire, primer, and premier. Doublet of premier.

Topics