primitive
adjEtymology 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.
8 senses
- 1Of or pertaining to the beginning or origin, or to early…
- 2Of or pertaining to or harking back to a former time…
- 3Relating to an art style characterized by asymmetrical…
- 4Crude, obsolete.
- 5Original; primary; radical; not derived.
- 6Occurring in or characteristic of an early stage of…
- 7Not derived from another of the same type
- 8most recent common ancestor (often hypothetical) of
1
Of or pertaining to the beginning or origin, or to early times; original; primordial; primeval; first.
- primitive innocence; the primitive church
- it is from such primitive beings that the highest organisms now extant are the marvellously developed descendants1895, Edmund Montgomery, “To Be Alive, What is it?”, in The Monist:
1 more example
- "The cranium is clearly plesiomorphic in overall form, presenting primitive traits shared by earlier hominins," the authors wrote.2025 September 27, Julia Jacobo, “Million-year-old skull could rewrite timeline of human origin, researchers say”, in ABC News, archived from the original on 14 Feb 2026:
2
Of or pertaining to or harking back to a former time; old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity.
- 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.1921, Ben Travers, chapter 4, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC:
2 more examples
- The intermediate stations were of the most primitive type.1951 August, “The Why and the Wherefore: The West Sussex Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 573:
- 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.1959, Mircea Eliade, “Introduction”, in Willard R. Trask, transl., The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion (Harvest Book; HB 144), New York, N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace & World, →ISBN, page 11:
3
Relating to an art style characterized by asymmetrical shapes and faded colors.
- I used primitive hearts to decorate the quilt.
4
Crude, obsolete.
- primitive ideas
5
Grammar, Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences Original; primary; radical; not derived.
- a primitive verb
- The primitive root in "children" is "child."
1 more example
- 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.1831, Noah Webster, Rudiments of English Grammar; Being an Abridgment of the Improved Grammar of the English Language, New-Haven, page 6:
7
Mathematics, Sciences Not derived from another of the same type
8
Human sciences, Linguistics, Sciences Dated most recent common ancestor (often hypothetical) of
- 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).1933, Leonard Bloomfield, Language, Henry Holt, page 13:
- Derived terms
31 terms
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