primus

See also: Primus and prímus

English

Etymology

From Latin primus (“the first”); related to prior, the comparative form. Partially cognate to foremost, from Proto-Indo-European.

Noun

primus (plural primuses)

  1. One of the bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church, who presides at the meetings of the bishops, and has certain privileges but no metropolitan authority.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Internat. Cyc to this entry?)

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for primus in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.)

Anagrams

Latin
Latin ordinal numbers
1st 2nd  > 
    Cardinal : unus
    Ordinal : prīmus
    Adverbial : semel
    Multiplier : simplex
    Distributive : singulī

Etymology

Earlier prīsmos < *prīsemos < Proto-Italic *priisemos, a superlative form of the obsolete preposition *pri/*prei, related to prae (“before”) (see -issimus for the superlative). Compare prior (“earlier, in front”), the corresponding comparative.

Pronunciation
  • (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈpriː.mus/, [ˈpriː.mʊs]
  • (Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈpri.mus/, [ˈpriː.mus]
  • Audio (Classical)(file)

Adjective

prīmus (feminine prīma, neuter prīmum); first/second declension

  1. first

Inflection

First/second declension.

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
Nominative prīmus prīma prīmum prīmī prīmae prīma
Genitive prīmī prīmae prīmī prīmōrum prīmārum prīmōrum
Dative prīmō prīmae prīmō prīmīs prīmīs prīmīs
Accusative prīmum prīmam prīmum prīmōs prīmās prīma
Ablative prīmō prīmā prīmō prīmīs prīmīs prīmīs
Vocative prīme prīma prīmum prīmī prīmae prīma

Derived terms

Descendants

See also

References
  • primus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • primus in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • primus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
  • primus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
  • Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
    • to have a superficial knowledge, a smattering of literature, of the sciences: primis (ut dicitur) or primoribus labris gustare or attingere litteras
    • to receive the first elements of a liberal education: primis litterarum elementis imbui
    • the actor who plays the leading part: actor primarum (secundarum, tertiarum) partium
    • to give the palm, the first place (for wisdom) to some one: primas (e.g. sapientiae) alicui deferre, tribuere, concedere
    • (ambiguous) at the first opportunity: primo quoque tempore
    • (ambiguous) at the beginning of spring: ineunte, primo vere
    • (ambiguous) we start by presupposing that..: positum est a nobis primum (c. Acc. c. Inf.)
    • (ambiguous) to be considered the foremost orator: primum or principem inter oratores locum obtinere
    • (ambiguous) to occupy the first, second position in the state: principem (primum), secundum locum dignitatis obtinere
    • (ambiguous) the vanguard: agmen primum
  • primus in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • primus in Ramminger, Johann (accessed 16 July 2016) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎, pre-publication website, 2005-2016
  • primus in William Smith, editor (1848) A Dictionary of Greek Biography and Mythology, London: John Murray
  • De Vaan, Michiel (2008) Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 7), Leiden, Boston: Brill, page 488
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