adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective
prīmus1
prīmus (feminine prīma, neuter prīmum, adverb prīmō)
Classical[ˈpriː.mʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈpriː.mus]
№ 91 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- adjectivefirst, early
[…] dī, coeptīs (nam vōs mūtāstis et illa) adspīrāte meīs prīmāque ab orīgine mundī
O gods, favor my undertakings (for you have changed them too), and lead my uninterrupted song down from the first origin of the world to my times!8 CE, Ovidius, Metamorphoses 1.2–4 - adjectivechief, principal; most excellent, eminent; distinguished, noble
- adjectivethe first part of; the entrance, extremity of; the tip of; the beginning of
in primā provinciā
at the border of the province
In the readers how our graded readers gloss it
the first
prīmus — in Seneca, ch. VI
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Primus · Princeps · Imperator · Cæsar
1. Primus is the first, so far as, in space of time, he makes his appearance first, and others follow him; princeps, so far as he acts first, and others follow his example. (v. 344.) 2. Princeps means the Roman emperor, as holder of the highest civil power, which gradually devolved to him as princeps senatus; whereas imperator, as holder of the highest military power, inasmuch as, except him and the members of his family, no one had any longer a claim to the title of imperator; lastly, Cæsar means the Roman emperor, as a member, and from the time of Galba, as a mere successor, of the imperial family and dynasty.
Declension
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | prīmus prīmulus | prīma prīmula | prīmum prīmulum |
| genitive | prīmī prīmulī | prīmae prīmulae | prīmī prīmulī |
| dative | prīmō prīmulō | prīmae prīmulae | prīmō prīmulō |
| accusative | prīmum prīmulum | prīmam prīmulam | prīmum prīmulum |
| ablative | prīmō prīmulō | prīmā prīmulā | prīmō prīmulō |
| vocative | prīme prīmule | prīma prīmula | prīmum prīmulum |
| form | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | prīmī prīmulī | prīmae prīmulae | prīma prīmula |
| genitive | prīmōrum prīmulōrum | prīmārum prīmulārum | prīmōrum prīmulōrum |
| dative | prīmīs prīmulīs | prīmīs prīmulīs | prīmīs prīmulīs |
| accusative | prīmōs prīmulōs | prīmās prīmulās | prīma prīmula |
| ablative | prīmīs prīmulīs | prīmīs prīmulīs | prīmīs prīmulīs |
| vocative | prīmī prīmulī | prīmae prīmulae | prīma prīmula |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- prima luce
- at daybreak.
- agmen primum
- the vanguard.
- ineunte, primo vere
- at the beginning of spring.
- primo quoque tempore
- at the first opportunity.
- pueros elementa (prima) docere
- to teach children the rudiments.
- primis litterarum elementis imbui
- to receive the first elements of a liberal education.
- ab ineunte (prima) aetate (De Or. 1. 21. 97)
- from one's entry into civil life.
- positum est a nobis primum (c. Acc. c. Inf.)
- we start by presupposing that...
6 more phrases
- actor primarum (secundarum, tertiarum) partium
- the actor who plays the leading part.
- prima (superiora); consequentia (Fin. 4. 19. 54)
- premises; consequences.
- primum or principem inter oratores locum obtinere
- to be considered the foremost orator.
- principem (primum), secundum locum dignitatis obtinere
- to occupy the first, second position in the state.
- primas (e.g. sapientiae) alicui deferre, tribuere, concedere
- to give the palm, the first place (for wisdom) to some one.
- primis (ut dicitur) or primoribus labris gustare or attingere litteras
- to have a superficial knowledge, a smattering of literature, of the sciences.
prīmus, a, um,
I. adj. sup. [obsol. prep. pri (prei); whence also prior, priscus; cf.: privus, privo, etc., and v. pro], the first, first (properly only when three or more are referred to. The first, as opp. to the second, is prior;
but primus is rarely used for prior, Cic. Sest. 19, 44 al.). I. In gen.:
qui primus vulnus dicitur obligavisse, Cic. N. D. 3, 22, 57: primus sentio mala nostra: primus rescisco omnia: Primus porro obnuntio, Ter. Ad. 4, 2, 7: verum primum: verum igitur et extremum, Cic. Off. 3, 6, 27: primae litterae, id. Att. 9, 6, 5: primus inter homines nobilissimos, id. Sest. 3, 6: primi ex omnibus philosophis, id. Fin. 4, 7, 17: primus Graeciae in Thraciam introiit, Nep. Alcib. 7, 4: primus de mille fuisses, Ov. H. 17, 105: in primis, among the first, in the foremost ranks, Nep. Paus. 5, 3: in primis stetit, id. Epam. 10, 3: in primis pugnantes, Sall. C. 60, 6: leonem primus, aut in primis ferire, id. J. 6, 1: utque pedum primis infans vestigia plantis institerat (= ut primum, etc., poet.), Verg. A. 11, 573: primus post eos quos poëtae tradiderunt movisse aliqua circa rhetoricen Empedocles dicitur (= secundus or proximus ab iis), Quint. 3, 1, 8.—II. In partic.
A. In time or place, first, fore, foremost, the first part; sometimes to be translated, the end, extremity, etc.:
in primā provinciā, at the entrance of the province, Cic. Fam. 3, 6, 2: digitus, the tip of the finger, Cat. 2, 3: dentes, the front teeth, Plin. 19, 2, 11, § 35: ranis prima lingua cohaeret, the end of the tongue, id. 11, 37, 65, § 172: primā statim nocte, at the beginning of the night, Col. 10, 190: sol, i. e. the rising sun, Verg. A. 6, 255: luna, i. e. the new moon, Plin. 2, 13, 10, § 56.—With quisque, the first possible, the very first: primo quoque tempore, at the very first opportunity, Cic. Fam. 13, 57, 1: primo quoque die, id. Phil. 8, 11, 33: me tibi primum quidque concedente, id. Ac. 2, 16, 49: fluit voluptas et prima quaeque avolat, id. Fin. 2, 32, 106.—Subst.: prīma, ōrum, n., the first part, the beginning: quod bellum, si prima satis prospera fuissent, Liv. 8, 3.—Of the first principles or elements of things, Lucr. 4, 186: prima consiliorum (for prima consilia), Tac. H. 2, 11: a primo, from the beginning, at first: multum improbiores sunt quam a primo credidi, Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 139; Ter. Phorm. 4, 2, 14; 4, 3, 37: in illā pro Ctesiphonte oratione submissius a primo: deinde pressius, Cic. Or. 8, 26: suam vim retinere a primo ad extremum, id. Fin. 4, 13, 32: hoc a primo cogitavit, id. Att. 8, 11, 2; id. Phil. 2, 30, 75 Halm ad loc.: id a primo rectissime dicitur, id. Fin. 3, 9, 32 Madv. ad loc.: in primo, in front, before, in the beginning, first: equites in primo late ire jubet, in the van, Sall. J. 68, 4: qui numerus in primo viget, jacet in extremo, Cic. Or. 64, 215. —B. First in rank or station, chief, principal, most excellent, eminent, distinguished, noble (cf.:
princeps, primores): evocat ad se Massiliensium quindecim primos, Caes. B. C. 1, 35: sui municipii facile primus, Cic. Rosc. Am. 6, 15: homo, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 17, § 37: primis urbis placuisse, Hor. Ep. 1, 20, 23: juvenum primi, Verg. A. 9, 785: est genus hominum, qui esse primos se omnium rerum volunt Nec sunt, Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 17: quia sum apud te primus, I am the first in your favor, id. ib. 1, 2, 10: primus humani generis, Sil. 17, 255: urbem Italiae primam, Petr. 116: praedium, Cato, R. R. 1: suavia prima habere, to give the first place to, think the most of, Ter. Heaut. 5, 2, 9: otium atque divitiae, quae prima mortales putant, Sall. C. 36, 4: cura, a chief part, Plin. 5, 25, 21, § 88.—Also, most conspicuous, chief, in a bad sense: peccatores, quorum primus ego sum, Vulg. 1 Tim. 1, 15: primas partes, or primas agere, to play the first part, to occupy the first rank, Ter. Phorm. prol. 27: primas in causis agebat Hortensius, Cic. Brut. 90, 308; 47: primas dare, to give the first place, ascribe the greatest importance to a thing: actioni primas dedisse Demosthenes dicitur, cum rogaretur, quid in dicendo esset primum: huic secundas, huic tertias, Cic. de Or. 3, 56, 213: primas deferre, to transfer the first or principal part: amoris erga me tibi primas defero, i. e. I assign to you the first rank among those who love me, id. Att. 1, 17, 5: primas concedere, to yield the first place: si Allienus tibi primas in dicendo partes concesserit, id. Div. in Caecil. 15, 49: primas tenere, to play the first part, be the best, id. Brut. 95, 327: cum primis, and in primis (also written in one word, impri-mis), with or among the first, chiefly, especially, principally, particularly: homo domi suae cum primis locuples, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 28, § 69: in primis lautus eques, Nep. Att. 13, 1: oppidum in primis Siciliae clarum, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 35, § 86: homo in primis improbissimus, id. ib. 2, 3, 27, § 68: vir magnus in primis, id. N. D. 1, 43, 120: in primis hoc a se animadversum esse dicebat, id. de Or. 3, 5, 17: in primis nobis sermo de te fuit, id. Att. 5, 1, 3: in primis ... dein, first, in the first place, Sall. J. 26, 3. —Hence, adv., primo and primum; also, ante- and post-class. and very rare, prime and primiter (the form primo is usually limited to that which is strictly first in time; primum in enumerations of contemporary facts, things, or arguments, where the order is at the speaker's choice; cf. Krebs, Antibarb. p. 920 sq.). A. prīmō, at first, at the beginning, first, firstly.
1. In gen.:
aedes primo ruere rebamur, Plaut. Am. 5, 1, 42: neque credebam primo mihimet Sosiae, id. ib. 2, 1, 50; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 9, § 26: primo non accredidit, Nep. Dat. 3, 4: Themistocles solus primo profectus est, id. Them. 6, 5: contemptus est primo a tyrannis, id. Thras. 2, 2; id. Ham. 2, 2.—2. With dein, deinde, inde, post, postea, mox, denique, nunc:
primo Stoicorum more agamus, deinde nostro instituto vagabimur, Cic. Tusc. 3, 6, 13: primo pecuniae, dein imperii cupido crevit, Sall. C. 10, 3: primo ... deinde ... tum ... tum, Cic. Fin. 1, 16, 50: primo ... deinde, Liv. 1, 27; Curt. 3, 12, 6; 4, 16, 21; 9, 10, 11: primo abstinentiā utendum: deinde danda, etc., Cels. 5, 26, 34: primo ... inde, ... hinc, Liv. 30, 11, 6: haec primo paulatim crescere: post, etc., Sall. C. 10, 6: dissuadente primo Vercingetorige, post concedente, Caes. B. G. 7, 15: primo ... postea ... postremo, etc., Liv. 26, 39: primo ... mox, id. 1, 50: primo ... mox deinde, Just. 1, 3: primo negitare, denique saepius fatigatus, etc., Sall. J. 111, 2: neque illi credebam primo, nunc vero palam est, Ter. Hec. 4, 4, 91.—3. (Mostly post-Aug. for primum.) With iterum, rursus, secundo:
primo ... iterum, Liv. 2, 51: primo ... rursus, Suet. Aug. 17: primo ... secundo, Phaedr. 4, 10, 16.—B. prīmum, at first, first, in the first place, in the beginning (class.).
1. In enumerations, with a foll. deinde, tum:
Caesar primum suo, deinde omnium e conspectu remotis equis, Caes. B. G. 1, 25: primum ... deinde ... deinde, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 58, § 143: primum ... deinde ... tum ... postremo, id. N. D. 2, 1, 3: primum ... deinde ... praeterea ... postremo, id. Div. 2, 56, 116: primum ... tum ... deinde ... post ... tum ... deinde ...., id. Fin. 5, 23, 65; id. Font. 14, 31; cf.: primum ... secundo loco ... deinde ... tum, id. Leg. 1, 13, 35; id. Inv. 2, 27, 79; Curt. 3, 6, 16; 8, 10, 9; Liv. 1, 28; Nep. Them. 2, 3; id. Epam. 1, 3: primum ... subinde, Hor. Ep. 1, 8, 15: primum ... mox, id. ib. 2, 2, 93.—2. Without other adverbs.
(a). In gen.:
quaerenda pecunia primum est, Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 53: te Quicumque primum Produxit, id. C. 2, 13, 2; id. S. 2, 3, 41.—(b). Strengthened with omnium, first of all, Plaut. Truc. 4, 3, 13:
primum omnium ego ipse vigilo, Cic. Cat. 2, 9, 19.—3. With ut, ubi, simulac, cum.
(a). Ut primum, ubi primum, simul ac primum, cum primum, as soon as ever, as soon as:
ut primum potestas data est augendae dignitatis tuae, etc., Cic. Fam. 10, 13, 1: ubi primum potuit, istum reliquit, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 20, § 48: simul ac primum niti possunt, etc., id. N. D. 2, 48, 124: tum affuerat, cum primum dati sunt judices, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 23, § 57.—(b). Nunc primum, now first, now for the first time (cf.: nunc demum, now at last):
post illa nunc primum audio, Quid illo sit factum, Ter. And. 5, 4, 33.—(g). With dum (also by Plaut. joined in one word, pri-mumdum), in the first place, first (anteclass.):
primum dum, si falso insimulas, etc. Iterum si id verum est, etc., Plaut. Mil. 2, 3, 26: omnium primumdum haed aedes jam face occlusae sicut, id. Most. 2, 1, 53; 1, 2, 39; id. Capt. 1, 2, 57: primum dum omnium male dictitatur tibi vulgo in sermonibus, id. Trin. 1, 2, 61.—(d). With adv. or other expression of time, for the first time:
hodie primum ire in ganeum, Plaut. As. 5, 2, 37: quo die primum convocati su mus, Cic. Phil. 5, 11, 30.—* C. prīmē, es pecially: fabula prime proba, Naev. ap. Charis. p. 188 P.; cf. Prisc. p. 603 P.—
D. prīmĭter, at first, first of all (ante- and post-class.): eripis primiter dapes, Pompon. ap. Non. 154, 26; Inscr. (of the beginning of the third century of Christ) Lab. Epigr. Lat. Scop. in Egitto.
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
prīmus adj. sup.
PRO-, the first, first : Primus sentio mala nostra, T.: primae litterae: primus Graecae civitatis in Thraciam introiit, N.: primus de mille fuisses, O.—Plur m . as subst: in primis stetit, among the foremost , N.: in primis pugnantes, in the van , S.: Utque pedum primis infans vestigia plantis Institerat (i. e. ut primum), V.—In time or place, first, fore, foremost : in primā provinciā, at the entrance of the province : sol, i. e. the rising sun , V.—With quisque, the first possible, the very first : primo quoque tempore, at the very first opportunity : me tibi primum quidque concedente.—As subst n., sing . and plur, the first part, beginning : quod bellum, si prima satis prospera fuissent, L.: utinam a primo ita tibi esset visum, from the first : equites in primo late ire iubet, in the van , S.: qui numerus in primo viget, iacet in extremo, first part .—Fig., of rank or merit, first, chief, principal, excellent, eminent, distinguished, noble : evocat ad se Massiliā quindecim primos, Cs.: sui municipi facile primus: primis urbis placuisse, H.: iuvenum primi, V.: apud te primus, first in your favor , T.: otium atque divitiae, quae prima mortales putant, S.: primas partīs qui aget, plays the leading part , T.: si Allienus tibi primas in dicendo partes concesserit.—Plur f . as subst. (only acc; sc. partīs), the first rank, lead, highest place : actioni primas dedisse Demosthenes dicitur, ascribed supreme importance : amoris erga me tibi primas defero, i. e. the first place among those who love me.—Plur. abl . as subst., in the phrases, in primis, cum primis, among the first, with the foremost, eminently, chiefly, especially, principally, particularly : vir fortis in primis: oppidum in primis Siciliae clarum: homo in primis improbissimus: in primis . . . deinde, in the first place , S.: homo cum primis locuples.
Origins
From earlier Proto-Italic *prīzmos, a superlative form (see -issimus) of the obsolete preposition *pri ~ *prei, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *préy, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“before, in front”). Compare prior (“earlier, in front”), the corresponding comparative. Cognate of Oscan promom, Umbrian promom (“first”).
Gallo-Romance
- Catalanprim
- Occitanprim
- Franco-Provençalprim
- Old Frenchprim
Ibero-Romance
- Spanishprimofrom Old Spanish primo
- Portugueseprimo
- Asturianprimu
- Ladinoprimofrom Old Spanish primo
Insular Romance
- Sardinianprimmu
- Sardinianprimu
Balkan Romance
- Romanianprim
Italo-Romance
- Italianprimo
- Neapolitanprimo
- Sicilianprimu
Borrowings
- Englishprimus
- Old Irishprím
- Irishpríomh-from Old Irish prím-
- Manxpreeu-from Old Irish prím-
- Scottish Gaelicprìomh-from Old Irish prím-
- Welshpriffrom Proto-Brythonic *priβ̃
Dalmatian
- unknownpraimo
Padanian
- Emilianprémm
- Emilianpremm
- Ligurianprimmo
- Lombardprimmfrom Old Lombard primo
- Lombardprummfrom Old Lombard primo
- Gallo-Italic of Sicilyprimufrom Old Lombard primo
- Gallo-Italic of Sicilyprimöfrom Old Lombard primo
- Piedmonteseprim
- Piedmonteseprum
- Romagnolprèm