primitive
Part of speech: noun
adj
Morphological type: simple
Topics: biology
computing
engineering
grammar
human-sciences
linguistics
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
programming
sciences
Etymology: From Middle English primitif, from Old French primitif, from Latin prīmitīvus (“first or earliest of its kind”), from prīmus (“first”); see prime. Doublet of primitivo.
Inflected forms:
form: primitives
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: primative
pos: noun
tags: alternative
obsolete
form: more primitive
pos: adj
tags: comparative
form: most primitive
pos: adj
tags: superlative
form: primative
pos: adj
tags: alternative
obsolete
Senses:
gloss: An original or primary word; a word not derived from another, as opposed to derivative.
pos: noun
gloss: A member of a primitive society.
pos: noun
gloss: Primitive or primeval nature; the innate, instinctive element within a person; the deep, instinctive, precultural layer of human nature.
pos: noun
examples: It may be that, living among primitive surroundings, the dormant primitive deep within the white man is drawn towards the absolute primitive in the aboriginal.
gloss: Natural or premodern environment or conditions; life lacking modern technology and society.
pos: noun
examples: Out there in the primitive, white-man Rust had made his tools out of the primitive, as these stone-age people were making excellent string from the primitive.
gloss: A simple-minded person.
pos: noun
gloss: A data type that is built into the programming language, as opposed to more complex structures.
pos: noun
gloss: Any of the simplest elements (instructions, statements, etc.) available in a programming language.
pos: noun
examples: A write-what-where primitive allows the attacker to write arbitrary data wherever they want in the memory
gloss: A basic geometric shape from which more complex shapes can be constructed.
pos: noun
gloss: A function whose derivative is a given function; an antiderivative.
pos: noun
gloss: Of or pertaining to the beginning or origin, or to early times; original; primordial; primeval; first.
pos: adj
examples: primitive innocence; the primitive church
it is from such primitive beings that the highest organisms now extant are the marvellously developed descendants
"The cranium is clearly plesiomorphic in overall form, presenting primitive traits shared by earlier hominins," the authors wrote.
gloss: Of or pertaining to or harking back to a former time; old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity.
pos: adj
examples: a primitive style of dress
By some paradoxical evolution rancour and intolerance have been established in the vanguard of primitive Christianity. Mrs. Spoker, in common with many of the stricter disciples of righteousness, was as inclement in demeanour as she was cadaverous in aspect.
The intermediate stations were of the most primitive type.
It could be said that the history of religions—from the most primitive to the most highly developed—is constituted by a great number of hierophanies, by manifestations of sacred realities.
gloss: Of or pertaining to or harking back to a former time; old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity.
pos: adj
examples: I used primitive hearts to decorate the quilt.
gloss: Crude, obsolete.
pos: adj
examples: primitive ideas
gloss: Original; primary; radical; not derived.
pos: adj
examples: a primitive verb
The primitive root in "children" is "child."
Division of words. Words are primitive or radical, and derivative or compound.
Of primitive words. Primitive or radical words are such as cannot be divided, or separated into parts which are significant; as man, hope, bless.
gloss: Occurring in or characteristic of an early stage of development or evolution.
pos: adj
tags: dated
gloss: Not derived from another of the same type
pos: adj
gloss: most recent common ancestor (often hypothetical) of
pos: adj
tags: dated
examples: We infer that other groups of related languages, such as the Germanic (or the Slavic or the Celtic), which show a similar resemblance, have arisen in the same way; it is only an accident of history that for these groups we have no written records of the earlier state of the language, as it was spoken before the differentiation set in. To these unrecorded languages we give names like Primitive Germanic (Primitive Slavic, Primitive Celtic, and so on).
Derived words: modern primitive
AADAOPA
multiprimitive
neoprimitive
neoprimitivist
nonprimitive
preprimitive
primitive art
primitive colour
primitive concept
primitive element
Primitive Irish
primitively
primitiveness
primitive notion
primitive polynomial
primitive recursion
primitive recursive
primitive reflex
primitive root
primitive streak
primitive type
primitive wrapper class
primitivism
primitivist
primitivistic
primitivity
primitivize
quasiprimitive
semiprimitive
ultraprimitive
unprimitive
Translations: