primordial

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pɹaɪˈmɔː.di.əl/

  • Audio (UK):

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /pɹaɪˈmɔɹ.di.əl/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (Australia) IPA^(key): /pɹɑɪˈmoː.di.əl/

Adjective

primordial (not comparable)

1. First, earliest or original.
   • a. 1857, William Hamilton, edited by H[enry] L[ongueville] Mansel and John Veitch, Lectures on Metaphysics and Logic […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, published 1859–1860, →OCLC:

     the primordial facts of our intelligent nature

   • 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light:Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, page 9:

     As an archetypal image of primordial unity, the cosmic egg suggests that there is unity and fragmentation, eternity and time.

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.
4. Of an element or isotope: occurring primordially (on Earth) (i.e. inherited from when the Earth was formed); because it is stable, or radioactive but so long-lived that some is left over from when the Earth was formed. For example, primordial radioisotopes (T = half-life in years) include uranium-235 (T = 7×10⁸), potassium-40 (T = 1.25×10⁹), uranium-238 (T = 4.5×10⁹), and thorium-232 (T = 1.4×10¹⁰).

Derived terms

• equiprimordial
• nonprimordial
• primordial black hole
• primordial cell
• primordial chaos
• primordial element
• primordial fluctuations
• primordialism
• primordiality
• primordially
• primordial ocean
• primordial ooze
• primordial phallus
• primordial sea
• primordial sludge
• primordial soup

Related terms

• exord
• exordium
• primordium

Translations

earliest

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

  Mandarin: 原始的 (yuánshǐ de)

• 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)
• Japanese: 原初の (げんしょの, gensho no)
• Kazakh: әдепкі (ädepki)
• 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)
• Ukrainian: пе́рві́сний (pérvísnyj)

primeval

• Esperanto: praa (eo)

Noun

primordial (plural primordials)

1. A first principle or element.
2. A primordial condition or state.
   • 1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 45:

     With a horrified shriek she tore herself from Tarzan’s arms, and the ape-man turned just in time to ward with his arm a terrific blow that De Coude had aimed at his head. Once, twice, three times the heavy stick fell with lightning rapidity, and each blow aided in the transition of the ape-man back to the primordial.

Translations

first principle or element

• Greek: πρωτογενής (el) m (protogenís)

French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin prīmōrdiālis (“of the beginning”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pʁi.mɔʁ.djal/

Adjective

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

1. primordial, primitive, original

   Synonyms: originel, primitif

   soupe primordiale ― primordial soup

2. vital, essential, paramount, of paramount importance

   Synonyms: capital, essentiel

Derived terms

• primordialement

Further reading

• “primordial”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

German

Pronunciation

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Adjective

primordial (strong nominative masculine singular primordialer, not comparable)

1. primordial

Declension

Positive forms of primordial (uncomparable)

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
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
• “primordial”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[1] (in German)

Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch primordiaal (“primordial”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /primorˈdial/ [pri.morˈdi.al]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: pri‧mor‧di‧al

Adjective

primordial (comparative lebih primordial, superlative paling primordial)

1. primordial

Further reading

• “primordial”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin prīmōrdium

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Latin prīmōrdiālisder.

Portuguese primordial

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

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /pɾi.moʁ.d͡ʒiˈaw/ [pɾi.moɦ.d͡ʒiˈaʊ̯], (faster) /pɾi.moʁˈd͡ʒjaw/ [pɾi.moɦˈd͡ʒjaʊ̯]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /pɾi.moʁ.d͡ʒiˈaw/ [pɾi.moɦ.d͡ʒiˈaʊ̯], (faster) /pɾi.moʁˈd͡ʒjaw/ [pɾi.moɦˈd͡ʒjaʊ̯]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /pɾi.moɾ.d͡ʒiˈaw/ [pɾi.moɾ.d͡ʒiˈaʊ̯], (faster) /pɾi.moɾˈd͡ʒjaw/ [pɾi.moɾˈd͡ʒjaʊ̯]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /pɾi.moʁ.d͡ʒiˈaw/ [pɾi.moʁ.d͡ʒiˈaʊ̯], (faster) /pɾi.moʁˈd͡ʒjaw/ [pɾi.moʁˈd͡ʒjaʊ̯]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /pɾi.moɻ.d͡ʒiˈaw/ [pɾi.moɻ.d͡ʒiˈaʊ̯], (faster) /pɾi.moɻˈd͡ʒjaw/ [pɾi.moɻˈd͡ʒjaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɾi.muɾˈdjal/ [pɾi.muɾˈðjaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɾi.muɾˈdjal/ [pɾi.muɾˈðjaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /pɾi.muɾˈdja.li/

• Rhymes: -al, -aw
• Hyphenation: pri‧mor‧di‧al

Adjective

primordial m or f (plural primordiais)

1. primordial (first, earliest or original)

   Synonym: primeiro

2. primary, main, paramount

   Synonyms: capital, essencial, importante

   • 1982, Bernardo Soares, Livro do Desassossego, Vol.II:

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

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• primordialmente

Related terms

• primórdio

Further reading

• “primordial”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “primordial”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology

Etymology tree

Latin prīmōrdium

Proto-Indo-European *h₂el-

Proto-Indo-European *-is

Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?

Proto-Italic *-ālis

Latin -ālis

Latin prīmōrdiālislbor.

French primordialbor.

Romanian primordial

Borrowed from French primordial. By surface analysis, primordiu + -al.

Adjective

primordial m or n (feminine singular primordială, masculine plural primordiali, feminine/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

Related terms

• primordialitate

Spanish

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɾimoɾˈdjal/ [pɾi.moɾˈð̞jal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: pri‧mor‧dial

Adjective

primordial m or f (masculine and feminine plural primordiales)

1. primordial
2. primary, paramount

Derived terms

• primordialmente

Related terms

• primordio

Further reading

• “primordial”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025