First in order of time; primitive; original: as, the prime cost.First in rank, degree, or importance; principal; chief: as, prime minister.Of the first excellence, value, or importance; first-rate; capital: as, prime wheat; prime quality; a prime joint of meat.Relating to the period or the condition of early manhood and vigor; being in the best or most vigorous time of life. See prime, n., 3.Ready; eager; bold.Fierce; strong.In mathematics, indivisible without a remainder, except by unity; incapable of being separated into simpler factors.A machine which receives and modifies force as supplied by some natural source, as a water-wheel or a steam-engine.2 and Chief, principal, best.n. The first period; the earliest stage or beginning; specifically, spring.n. The first hour or period of the day.n. In a more extended sense, from the fact that the lesser canonical hours followed at intervals of three hours, the first quarter of the time between sunrise and sunset, ending half-way between sunrise and midday.n. The spring of life; youth; full health, strength, or beauty; hence, the highest or most perfect state or most flourishing condition of anything.n. The best part; that which is best in quality; that which is of prime or high quality or grade, as fish, oysters, etc.; often, in the plural, a prime grade or quality.n. In fencing: The first of eight parries or guards against thrusts in sword-play, afterward retained in exercise with the foils; the first guard a swordsman surprised by an attack could make, while drawing his weapon from the scabbard near his left thigh.n. Hence — Sometimes, the first and simplest thrust (and parry) which can be made after two fencers have crossed foils and are “on guard” with the left sides of their foils touching: used thus for the direct thrust.n. In chem., a number employed, in conformity with the doctrine of definite proportions, to express the ratios in which bodies enter into combination.n. A prime number; an integer number not divisible without remainder by any number except itself and unity.n. 8. The game of primero.n. A term used in the playing of this game.n. In music: A tone on the same degree of the scale or staff with a given tone.n. The interval between any tone and a tone on the same degree with it.n. The simultaneous combination of two tones on the same degree.n. In a scale, the first tone; the tonic or keynote.n. One of the fractions into which a unit is immediately divided; a minute.n. The footsteps of a deer.To be as at first; be renewed.To insert a primer or priming-powder into the vent of a gun before firing.In the steam-engine, to carry over hot water with the steam from the boiler into the cylinder: as, the engine primes. See primage, 2.To perform the prime or first operation upon or with; prepare.To cover with a ground or first color or coat in painting or plastering.To put in a fit state to act or endure; make ready; especially, to instruct or prepare (a person) beforehand in what he is to say or do; “post”: as, to prime a person with a speech; to prime a witness.To trim or prune.n. The golden number: so called because it shows the prime of the moon.n. The grade next below the finest variety of a fleece of merino wool.To occur or come in advance of others: thus, flood-tide lags between new moon and full moon, but primes between full and new.To have precedence, as one claim over another.In tobacco-growing: To gather the ripe lower leaves from: said of the plant.To gather as ripe: said of leaves.To gather later instalments of (leaves). See priming, 5.
