primary

noun · adjective · verb

Simple meaning

One of the main flight feathers projecting along the outer edge of a bird's wing.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

prymuhree

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɹaɪmɛɹi

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

One of the main flight feathers projecting along the outer edge of a bird's wing
The first year of grade school.
A base or fundamental component; something that is irreducible.
The most massive component of a gravitationally bound system, such as a planet in relation to its satellites.
ornithology
Any flight feather attached to the manus (hand) of a bird.
A primary school.

adjective

First or earliest in a group or series.
Main; principal; chief; placed ahead of others.
geology
Earliest formed; fundamental.

verb

usintransitivetransitive
To take part in a primary election.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: A2 · Elementary
Frequency: Very Common
Typical Use: Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: First or earliest in a group or series.

Used this way, primary is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: No strong connotation
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

First

primary schoolprimary importance

Relating

primary careprimary source

Other combinations

primary educationprimary keyprimary productionprimary purpose

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

primernounPerson or profession
An introductory textbook.
primarilyadverbDerived adverb
For the most part.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

primary sex characteristicnounCompound term
The genetically determined sex characteristics bound up with reproduction (genitals and organs of reproduction).
primary sexual characteristicnounCompound term
The genetically determined sex characteristics bound up with reproduction (genitals and organs of reproduction).
primary solid solutionnounCompound term
A homogeneous solid that can exist over a range of component chemicals.
primary subtractive color for lightnounCompound term
Any of the three colors that give the primary colors for light after subtraction from white light.
primary subtractive colour for lightnounCompound term
Any of the three colors that give the primary colors for light after subtraction from white light.
primary syphilisnounCompound term
The first stage.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

noun

Sense: one of the main flight feathers projecting along the outer edge of a bird's wing

elementaryInformal

adjective

Sense: first or earliest in a group or series

basaloriginal

Antonyms

Sense: first or earliest in a group or series

secondary

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What Does It Mean Here?

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Related Learning

Guides that use this word in context.

Word Differences
Principal vs. Principle: Person, Sum or Rule?
Principal is usually a person, a sum of money or “main.” Principle is always a rule or belief. Here’s how to keep them apart.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.