prime
IPA: prˈaɪm
noun
- (historical) The first hour of daylight; the first canonical hour.
- (Christianity) The religious service appointed to this hour.
- (obsolete) The early morning generally.
- (now rare) The earliest stage of something.
- The most active, thriving, or successful stage or period.
- The chief or best individual or part.
- Something which is first in importance or rank: a prime defense company, mortgage lender, etc.
- (music) The first note or tone of a musical scale.
- (fencing) The first defensive position, with the sword hand held at head height, and the tip of the sword at head height.
- (algebra, number theory) A prime element of a mathematical structure, particularly a prime number.
- (card games) A four-card hand containing one card of each suit in the game of primero; the opposite of a flush in poker.
- (backgammon) Six consecutive blocks, which prevent the opponent's pieces from passing.
- The symbol ′ used to indicate feet, minutes, derivation and other measures and mathematical operations.
- (chemistry, obsolete) Any number expressing the combining weight or equivalent of any particular element; so called because these numbers were respectively reduced to their lowest relative terms on the fixed standard of hydrogen as 1.
- An inch, as composed of twelve seconds in the duodecimal system.
- (obsolete) The priming in a flintlock.
- A feather, from the wing of the cock ostrich, that is of the palest possible shade.
- (cycling) An intermediate sprint within a race, usually offering a prize and/or points.
- A surname.
- (film) Contraction of prime lens, a film lens. [(photography) A photographic lens with a constant focal length, as opposed to a zoom lens.]
verb
- (transitive) To fill or prepare the chamber of a mechanism for its main work.
- (transitive) To apply a coat of primer paint to.
- (obsolete, intransitive) To be renewed.
- (intransitive) To serve as priming for the charge of a gun.
- (intransitive, of a steam boiler) To work so that foaming occurs from too violent ebullition, which causes water to become mixed with, and be carried along with, the steam that is formed.
- To apply priming to (a musket or cannon); to apply a primer to (a metallic cartridge).
- To prepare; to make ready; to instruct beforehand; to coach.
- (UK, dialect, obsolete) To trim or prune.
- (mathematics) To mark with a prime mark.
adjective
- First in importance, degree, or rank.
- First in time, order, or sequence.
- First in excellence, quality, or value.
- (mathematics, lay) Having exactly two integral factors: itself and unity (1 in the case of integers).
- (mathematics, technical) Such that if it divides a product, it divides one of the multiplicands.
- (mathematics) Having its complement closed under multiplication: said only of ideals.
- Marked or distinguished by the prime symbol.
- Early; blooming; being in the first stage.
- (obsolete) Lecherous, lewd, lustful.
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Examples of "prime" in Sentences
- The unknot is not considered prime.
- He is still in the prime of manhood.
- He was the prime proprietor of the town.
- The obligato recitative is a prime example.
- Food is a prime aspect for sustaining lives.
- The Prime Minister is the head of the government.
- The Prime Minister is not answerable to the President.
- A moped is not the prime mover for the vehicle but the rider is.
- Primes which are the concatenation of the first n primes written in decimal.
- He was the principal pollster for former Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
- Overpaying for washed up skill players 5 years past their prime is his specialty.
- At that time, he added the title prime minister to his previous position as president.
- PS - What's the betting he defies tradition and refuses to give up the title prime minister?
- Or if you don't think the prime is at fault and want to blame Orbital, then why don't we look at MSL?
- The origin of the term prime minister and the question to whom the designation should first be applied have long been issues of scholarly and political debate.
- 'Buy'n ony nigs, Kirke?' said the trader, inserting his arm in mine, and leading me away from the shanty: 'I've got a prime lot -- _prime_;' and he smacked his lips together at the last word, in the manner that is common to professional liquor tasters.