primordial

English

Etymology

From the Latin prīmōrdiālis (“of the beginning”). Confer primordium and -al.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pɹaɪˈmɔː.di.əl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /pɹaɪˈmɔɹ.di.əl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Adjective

primordial (not comparable)

1. first, earliest or original
   • 1858-1860, Sir William Hamilton, Lectures on Metaphysics and Logic

     the primordial facts of our intelligent nature

2. (biology) characteristic of the earliest stage of the development of an organism, or relating to a primordium

   a primordial leaf; a primordial cell

3. primeval

Derived terms

Derived terms

• primordial black hole
• primordial cell
• primordial element

• primordial fluctuations
• primordial soup

Translations

earliest

• Bulgarian: първоначален (bg) (pǎrvonačalen), най-ранен (naj-ranen)
• Catalan: primordial
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 原始 (zh)

• Dutch: oorspronkelijk (nl), oer- (nl)
• Finnish: alku- (fi), alkuperäinen (fi)
• French: primordial (fr)
• Galician: primordial (gl) m or f
• Georgian: დასაბამიერი (dasabamieri), პირველყოფილი (ṗirvelq̇opili), თავდაპირველი (tavdaṗirveli), ოდინდელი (odindeli)
• German: ursprünglich (de), Ur- (de), Frühzeit-, primordial (de)

• Greek: αρχέγονος (el) m (archégonos), πρωταρχικός (el) m (protarchikós)
• Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁיתִי‎ (he) m (bereshití)
• Hungarian: ősi (hu)
• Icelandic: frum-, upprunalegur (is) m, upphafs-
• Italian: primordiale (it)
• Polish: pierwotny (pl) m, początkowy (pl)
• Portuguese: primordial (pt)
• Russian: изнача́льный (ru) (iznačálʹnyj)
• Spanish: primordial (es)
• Swedish: ursprunglig (sv)
• Turkish: esasî, ilk (tr), kökensel (tr)

Noun

primordial (plural primordials)

1. A first principle or element.

Translations

first principle or element

• Greek: πρωτογενής (el) m (protogenís)

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin prīmōrdiālis (“of the beginning”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pʁi.mɔʁ.djal/

Adjective

primordial (feminine singular primordiale, masculine plural primordiaux, feminine plural primordiales)

1. primordial, primitive, original
2. vital, essential, paramount, of paramount importance

Further reading

• “primordial” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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German

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

primordial (not comparable)

1. primordial

Declension

Declension of primordial

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter	all genders
predicative		er ist primordial	sie ist primordial	es ist primordial	sie sind primordial
strong declension (without article)	nominative	primordialer	primordiale	primordiales	primordiale
	genitive	primordialen	primordialer	primordialen	primordialer
	dative	primordialem	primordialer	primordialem	primordialen
	accusative	primordialen	primordiale	primordiales	primordiale
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der primordiale	die primordiale	das primordiale	die primordialen
	genitive	des primordialen	der primordialen	des primordialen	der primordialen
	dative	dem primordialen	der primordialen	dem primordialen	den primordialen
	accusative	den primordialen	die primordiale	das primordiale	die primordialen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein primordialer	eine primordiale	ein primordiales	(keine) primordialen
	genitive	eines primordialen	einer primordialen	eines primordialen	(keiner) primordialen
	dative	einem primordialen	einer primordialen	einem primordialen	(keinen) primordialen
	accusative	einen primordialen	eine primordiale	ein primordiales	(keine) primordialen

Further reading

• “primordial” in Duden online

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Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin prīmōrdiālis (“of the beginning”).

Adjective

primordial m or f (plural primordiais, comparable)

1. primordial (first, earliest or original)

   Synonym: primeiro

2. primary, main, paramount
   • 1982, Bernardo Soares, Livro do Desassossego, Vol.II

     Em mim o que há de primordial é o hábito e o jeito de sonhar.

   Synonyms: capital, essencial, importante

Derived terms

• primordialmente

Related terms

• primórdio

Further reading

• “primordial” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

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Romanian

Etymology

From French primordial

Adjective

primordial m or n (feminine singular primordială, masculine plural primordiali, feminine and neuter plural primordiale)

1. primeval

Declension

Declension of primordial

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	primordial		primordială	primordiali	primordiale
	definite	primordialul		primordiala	primordialii	primordialele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	primordial		primordiale	primordiali	primordiale
	definite	primordialului		primordialei	primordialilor	primordialelor

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Spanish

Etymology

From Latin prīmōrdiālis (“of the beginning”). Cognate with English primordial.

Adjective

primordial (plural primordiales)

1. primordial
2. primary, paramount

Related terms

• primordio

Further reading

• “primordial” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.