primus

§English

§Etymology

From Latin primus (“the first”); related to prior, the comparative form. Partially cognate to foremost, from Proto-Indo-European.

§Noun

primus

1. One of the bishops of the Episcopal Church of Scotland, who presides at the meetings of the bishops, and has certain privileges but no metropolitan authority.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Internat. Cyc to this entry?)

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.

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§Latin

Latin ordinal numbers

	1st	2nd  >
Ordinal : prīmus     Cardinal : unus     Adverbial : semel     Multiplier : simplex     Distributive : singulī

§Etymology

Earlier prismos, a superlative form related to prae (“before”) (see -issimus for superlative). Compare prior (“earlier, in front”), the corresponding comparative.

§Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈpriː.mus/, [ˈpriː.mʊs]

• Audio (Classical)

  (file)

• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpri.mus/

§Adjective

prīmus m (feminine prīma, neuter prīmum); first/second declension

1. (ordinal) first

§Usage notes

It is the superlative degree of an adjective with only comparative (prior, prior, prius) and superlative degrees without a positive degree. It stems from the preposition pre. In the same way for post, one has posterior and postremus.

§Inflection

First/second declension.

Number	Singular				Plural
Case / Gender	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter		Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
nominative	prīmus	prīma	prīmum		prīmī	prīmae	prīma
genitive	prīmī	prīmae	prīmī		prīmōrum	prīmārum	prīmōrum
dative	prīmō	prīmae	prīmō		prīmīs	prīmīs	prīmīs
accusative	prīmum	prīmam	prīmum		prīmōs	prīmās	prīma
ablative	prīmō	prīmā	prīmō		prīmīs	prīmīs	prīmīs
vocative	prīme	prīma	prīmum		prīmī	prīmae	prīma

§Derived terms

• prīmārius
• prīmō
• prīmōgenitus
• prīmum movēns
• prīmum mōbile
• prīmum nōn nocēre
• prīma māteria

§Descendants

• Asturian: primu
• Dalmatian: prein
• English: prime, primo, primus
• Istriot: preîmo
• Italian: primo
• Friulian: prin
• Ladin: prim, prum
• Occitan: prim

• Old French: prime
• Portuguese: primo
• Romanian: prim
• Romansch: emprim, emprem, amprem, prüm
• Sardinian: primmu, primu
• Sicilian: primu
• Spanish: primo
• Venetian: primo

§See also

• prima materia on Wikipedia.Wikipedia:prima materia
• Primum Mobile on Wikipedia.Wikipedia:Primum Mobile
• primum movens on Wikipedia.Wikipedia:primum movens
• primum non nocere on Wikipedia.Wikipedia:primum non nocere

§References

• Michiel de Vaan (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden, Boston: Brill Academic Publishers, page 488