prime

prime
{{11}}prime (adj.) late 14c., from L. primus "first," from pre-Italic *prismos, superl. of Old L. pri "before," from PIE root *per- "beyond," *pro- "before" (see PRE- (Cf. pre-)). To prime a pump (c.1840) meant to pour water down the tube, which saturated the sucking mechanism and made it draw up water more readily. Arithmetical sense (prime number) is from 1560s; prime meridian is from 1878. Priming "first coat of paint" is from c.1600. Prime time originally (c.1500) meant "spring time;" broadcasting sense of "peak tuning-in period" is attested from 1964.
{{12}}prime (n.) O.E. prim "earliest canonical hour" (6 a.m.), from M.L. prima "the first service," from L. prima hora "the first hour" (of the Roman day). Meaning "most vigorous stage" first recorded 1530s; specifically "springtime of human life" (often meaning ages roughly 21 to 28) is from 1590s.
{{12}}prime (v.) "to fill, charge, load" (a weapon), 1510s, probably from PRIME (Cf. prime) (adj.). Primer "explosive cap" is from 1819.

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • prime — 1. (pri m ) adj.    Mot ancien qui signifiait premier, et qui n est plus usité seul ; on s en sert encore dans les locutions suivantes. 1°   De prime abord, en premier lieu. •   De prime abord sont par la bonne dame Expédiés tous les péchés menus …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • Prime — can refer to: * Prime number, an integer greater than 1 which is only divisible by 1 and itself * Prime (symbol), the ′ mark ** 3′ end and 5′ end ( three prime end , five prime end ) in biochemistry * Prime (liturgy), a liturgical office (service …   Wikipedia

  • Prime — Prime, a. [F., fr. L. primus first, a superl. corresponding to the compar. prior former. See {Prior}, a., {Foremost}, {Former}, and cf. {Prim}, a., {Primary}, {Prince}.] 1. First in order of time; original; primeval; primitive; primary. Prime… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Prime — • Article on the office of Prime, now suppressed Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Prime     Prime     † …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Prime — Prime, n. 1. The first part; the earliest stage; the beginning or opening, as of the day, the year, etc.; hence, the dawn; the spring. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] In the very prime of the world. Hooker. [1913 Webster] Hope waits upon the flowery… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • prime-1 — [ˌpraɪm ˈwʌn] noun [singular] FINANCE a rating given by some credit showing that the risk of non payment of a loan etc is very low. Prime 1 is the best rating, followed by prime 2 and prime 3: • Moody s assigned their top ratings prime 1 and A 1… …   Financial and business terms

  • prime — [prīm] adj. [ME < MFr < L primus, first < OL pri, before < IE base * per , beyond > FAR, FIRST] 1. first in time; original; primitive; primary 2. first in rank or authority; chief [the prime minister] 3. first in importance or… …   English World dictionary

  • PRIME — (Privacy and Identity Management for Europe / Datenschutz und Identitätsmanagement für Europa) ist der Name eines Projektes innerhalb des 6. EU Rahmenprogramms. Der Start des PRIME Projektes fand in Brunnen, Schweiz, vom 8. bis 12. März 2004… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • prime — PRIME. s. f. La premiere des heures Canoniales. Chanter Prime. assister à Prime. Il se dit aussi d une sorte de Jeu aux cartes. Il y a deux sortes de prime. la grand prime. la petite prime. cartes de prime. joüer à la prime. il a perdu son argent …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • prime — 1 n 1: prime rate 2: general contractor prime 2 vt primed, prim·ing: to have priority over a perfected security …   Law dictionary

  • Prime-2 — Prime 1/Prime 2/Prime 3 ► FINANCE a rating (= measurement of how good something is) given to a loan to show how much of a risk there is that the loan will not be paid back. A Prime 1 rating means that the risk is very low. A Prime 2 or Prime 3… …   Financial and business terms

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