Meaning

First, earliest or original..

Definitions by Sense

1. First, earliest or original.
2. (biology) Characteristic of the earliest stage of the development of an organism, or relating to a primordium.
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).
5. A first principle or element.
6. A primordial condition or state.

Example Sentences

the primordial facts of our intelligent nature

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

a primordial leaf; a primordial cell

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.

Word Forms

• primordials

Synonyms for primordial

Related Words

When Should You Use Primordial?

Use primordial when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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