- (a.) Divisible by no number except itself or unity; as, 7 is a prime number.
- (a.) Having no common factor; -- used with to; as, 12 is prime to 25.
- (v.i.) 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; -- said of a steam boiler.
- (n.) That which is first in quantity; the most excellent portion; the best part.
- (n.) The first part; the earliest stage; the beginning or opening, as of the day, the year, etc.; hence, the dawn; the spring.
- (#) Donne (#) (pl. ) of Prima donna.
- (a.) A prime number. See under Prime, a.
- (v.i.) To serve as priming for the charge of a gun.
- (a.) First in rank, degree, dignity, authority or importance; as, prime minister.
- (a.) To trim or prune, as trees.
- (a.) First in order of time; original; primeval; primitive; primary.
- (a.) An inch, as composed of twelve seconds in the duodecimal system; -- denoted by [']. See 2d Inch, n., 1.
- (a.) To prepare; to make ready; to instruct beforehand; to post; to coach; as, to prime a witness; the boys are primed for mischief.
- (a.) First in excellence; of highest quality; as, prime wheat; a prime quality of cloth.
- (a.) To mark with a prime mark.
- (a.) Lecherous; lustful; lewd.
- (v.i.) To be renewed or as at first.
- (a.) The first of the chief guards.
- (n.) The spring of life; youth; hence, full health, strength or beauty; perfection.
- (a.) To lay the first color, coating or preparation upon (a surface), as in painting; as, to prime a canvas, a wall.
- (a.) The morning; specifically (R. C. Ch.), the first canonical hour, succeeding to lauds.
- (a.) Early; blooming; being in the first stage.
- (a.) Marked or distinguished by a mark (') called a prime mark.
- (a.) 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.
- (a.) To apply priming to, as a musket or a cannon; to apply a primer to, as a metallic cartridge.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). prime. Retrieved September 21, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/prime/definitions/2049195 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "prime" http://smartdefine.org/prime/definitions/2049195 (accessed September 21, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, prime, Smart Define, viewed 21 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/prime/definitions/2049195>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "prime" 27 May 2011. Web. 21 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/prime/definitions/2049195> |