prim

See also: Prim, prím, Prìm, prím-, and přím

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɹɪm/, [pʰɹ̠̊ɪm]

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪm

Etymology 1

Of uncertain origin.

In the verb sense, first appeared in Thomas D'Urfey's A Fool's Preferment in the year 1688.

In the noun sense, first appeared in A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew in the year 1699, meaning "prig." Now obsolete.

In the adjective sense, first appeared in Sir Richard Steele's The Funeral in the year 1702, meaning "consciously or affectedly strict or precise; stiffly formal and respectable."

Oxford English Dictionary proposed a relation with primp and prink. Chiefly Scottish and U.S.

Adjective

prim (comparative primmer, superlative primmest)

1. Of a person, their manner or appearance: Formal and precise; stiffly decorous.
   • 1708, [Jonathan Swift], “The Metamorphosis of Baucis and Philemon, Burlesqu’d; from the 8th Book of Ovid”, in Baucis and Philemon; a Poem. […], London: […] H. Hills, […], published 1709, →OCLC, page 8:

     Philemon was in great Surprize,⁠
     And hardly could believe his Eyes,
     Amaz’d to ſee her look ſo prim;
     And ſhe admir’d as much at him.

   • 1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:

     God damn it, what does she want of me, this sad, beautiful bridgeplayer of the Fifth Floor, with her air of lost love and her prim carnality?

   • 2024 October 24, Judith Shulevitz, “Michel Houellebecq Has Some Fresh Predictions. Be Afraid.”, in The Atlantic‎^[1]:

     And although Paul shares an apartment with his prim wife, aptly named Prudence, they rarely see or speak to each other.

2. (by extension) Of a person: Prudish; straight-laced.
3. Of things: Neat; trim.

   prim regularity

Derived terms

• prim and proper
• primly
• primness
• prissy

Translations

prudish

• Bulgarian: превзет (bg) (prevzet)
• Catalan: posturer m
• Czech: škrobený, upjatý, prudérní (cs)
• Dutch: preuts (nl)
• French: collet monté (fr), guindé (fr)
• German: prüde (de), ordentlich (de)
• Polish: pedantyczny (pl)
• Russian: чо́порный (ru) (čópornyj)
• Spanish: mojigato (es), santurrón (es), cartuchón
• Swedish: prudentlig (sv)
• Ukrainian: соромли́вий (soromlývyj)

precise, neat — see also stylish,‎ dapper

• Czech: upravený (cs), úhledný (cs)

Verb

prim (third-person singular simple present prims, present participle primming, simple past and past participle primmed) (dated or archaic)

1. (intransitive) To make one's expression prim. [with up]
2. (transitive) To give a prim or demure expression to (one's face, mouth, or (rare) lips).
3. (transitive) To dress (one) up affectedly or demurely. [with up or out]

Noun

prim (plural prims)

1. (obsolete) A prim person.

Related terms

• primp

Etymology 2

Unknown; see privet.

Noun

prim

1. (botany) privet

References

• Philip Babcock Gove et al., editors (1961), “prim a”, in Webster's Third New International Dictionary  […], volume II (H to R), published 1981, →ISBN, page 1800
• Philip Babcock Gove et al., editors (1961), “prim v”, in Webster's Third New International Dictionary  […], volume II (H to R), published 1981, →ISBN, page 1800
• “prim, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
• “prim, n.³”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin prīmus, from earlier prīsmos from *prīsemos from Proto-Italic *priisemos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈpɾim]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -im

Adjective

prim (feminine prima, masculine plural prims, feminine plural primes)

1. thin, skinny

Derived terms

• aprimar
• primesa
• primor

Related terms

• primer

Further reading

• “prim”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “prim” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “prim” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Franco-Provençal

Etymology

Inherited from Latin prīmus ("first" → "excellent"). Compare the two senses of English fine.

Adjective

prim (feminine prima, masculine plural prims, feminine plural primes) (ORB, broad)

1. thin

   Antonym: èpès

References

• mince in DicoFranPro: Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal – on dicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca
• prim in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu

Further information

• AIS: Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz [Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Italy and Southern Switzerland] – map 1510: “un filo sottile” – on navigais-web.pd.istc.cnr.it
• ALF: Atlas Linguistique de la France^[2] – map 1631AB – on lig-tdcge.imag.fr
• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002), “prīmus”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, volume 9: Placabilis–Pyxis, page 384

Ladin

Alternative forms

• prum

Etymology

From Latin prīmus.

Adjective

prim m (feminine singular prima, masculine plural primi, feminine plural primes)

1. first

Old English

Etymology

From Latin prīma (“first; first hour”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /priːm/

Noun

prīm

1. (historical) Prime, the first hour or tide (3-hour period) after dawn
2. (Christianity) Prime, the divine office appointed for the hour in the liturgy

Synonyms

• (hour; tide): āntīd
• (service): prīmsang

Derived terms

• prīmsang

References

• Joseph Bosworth; T. Northcote Toller (1898), “prīm”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary‎^[3], second edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Romanian

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin prīmus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈprim/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -im

Adjective

prim m or n (feminine singular primă, masculine plural primi, feminine/neuter plural prime)

1. (preposited) first

   Synonyms: întâi, dintâi

   Antonyms: ultim, din urmă, de pe urmă

2. (postposited, formal) prime (first in degree or salience)
   • 2007 February, Alexandru Ștefan, Teatrul azi [Theatre today]‎^[4], numbers 1–2, →ISSN, page 32:

     De aceea, lucrul individual a căpătat o importanță primă în această meserie.

     For that reason, solitary work has acquired prime importance in this profession.

3. (number theory) prime
4. (music) first (playing lead in an orchestra)
5. (mathematics) prime (marked with a prime symbol)

Usage notes

Romanian adjectives are usually placed after the noun they modify. However, prim in the sense of “first” always precedes its corresponding noun. Conversely, in the other senses it follows the noun as expected.

As with English first, prim is considered an intrinsically definite adjective and is usually articulated. Indefinite use is also possible: un prim pas (“a first step”).

Declension

Declension of prim

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	prim		primă		primi	prime
	definite	primul		prima		primii	primele
genitive- dative	indefinite	prim		prime		primi	prime
	definite	primului		primei		primilor	primelor

Derived terms

• din prima
• june prim
• materie primă
• prim ajutor
• prim-
• prim-amorez
• prim-plan

Related terms

• prima
• primar
• primăvară

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Hungarian prim.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈprim/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -im

Noun

prim n (plural primuri)

1. (Transylvania) decorative clothes border trim

Declension

	singular			plural
	indefinite	definite		indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	prim	primul		primuri	primurile
genitive-dative	prim	primului		primuri	primurilor
vocative	primule			primurilor

Related terms

• primă

Further reading

• “prim”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2025
• Iorgu Iordan, Alexandru Graur, Ion Coteanu, editors (1978), “prim¹”, in Dicționarul Limbii Române‎^[5], volume 8, part 5, Bucharest: Academy of the Socialist Republic of Romania, pages 1420–1421
• Iorgu Iordan, Alexandru Graur, Ion Coteanu, editors (1978), “prim³, -ă”, in Dicționarul Limbii Române‎^[6], volume 8, part 5, Bucharest: Academy of the Socialist Republic of Romania, pages 1421–1422

Turkish

Etymology

From Ottoman Turkish پریم (prim), from French prime.

Noun

prim (definite accusative primi, plural primler)

1. prize
2. premium

References

• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–), “prim”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
• Avery, Robert et al., editors (2013), The Redhouse Dictionary Turkish/Ottoman English, 21st edition, Istanbul: Sev Yayıncılık, →ISBN

Volapük

Noun

prim (nominative plural prims)

1. beginning

Declension

Declension of prim

	singular	plural
nominative	prim	prims
genitive	prima	primas
dative	prime	primes
accusative	primi	primis
vocative 1	o prim!	o prims!
predicative 2	primu	primus

¹ status as a case is disputed
² in later, non-classical Volapük only