noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˈpɹaɪ.mə.si/
UK:/ˈpɹɪ.mə.si/
US:/ˈpɹaɪ.mə.si/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:P R AY1 M AH0 S IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The state or condition of being prime or first, as in time, place, rank, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Examples
establish the primacy of something
acknowledge the primacy of something
assert primacy
The court affirmed the primacy of federal law.
He argued for the primacy of reason over emotion.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: preeminence
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Excellence; supremacy.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The office, rank, or character of a primate, it being the chief ecclesiastical station or dignity in a national church.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Topics: lifestyle, religion
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
The office or dignity of an archbishop.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Topics: lifestyle, religion
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
the state of being first in importance
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: importance, grandness
History
Etymology
From Old French primacie, from Medieval Latin primatia (“office of a church primate”), from Latin primas plus a suffix corresponding to -acy. By surface analysis, prime + -acy.
Across languages
Translations
38 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
първенство
(pǎrvenstvo)
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Catalan:
primacia
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Dutch:
voorang
— the state or condition of being prime or first
French:
primauté
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Georgian:
პრიმატი
(ṗrimaṭi)
— the state or condition of being prime or first
German:
Primat
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Hindi:
प्राथमिकता
(prāthmiktā)
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Hindi:
वरीयता
(varīytā)
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Hebrew:
רִאשׁוֹנִיוּת
(rishoniyút)
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Hebrew:
עֶליוֹנוּת
(elyonút)
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Irish:
príomhacht
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Old Irish:
prímdacht
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Italian:
primato
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Italian:
priorità
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Italian:
supremazia
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Korean:
주요
(juyo)
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Māori:
tuatahitanga
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Portuguese:
primado
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Portuguese:
primazia
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Romanian:
primație
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Russian:
перви́чность
(pervíčnostʹ)
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Russian:
пе́рвенство
(pérvenstvo)
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Russian:
перворо́дство
(pervoródstvo)
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Russian:
перворо́дность
(pervoródnostʹ)
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Russian:
прима́тство
(primátstvo)
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Serbo-Croatian:
првѐнство
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Serbo-Croatian:
пре̏дно̄ст
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Serbo-Croatian:
prvènstvo
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Serbo-Croatian:
prȅdnōst
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Slovak:
prvenstvo
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Spanish:
primacía
— the state or condition of being prime or first
Old Armenian:
նախագահ
(naxagah)
— the office, rank, or character of a primate
Bulgarian:
архиепископски сан
(arhiepiskopski san)
— the office, rank, or character of a primate
Dutch:
primaatschap
— the office, rank, or character of a primate
German:
Primas
— the office, rank, or character of a primate
Irish:
príomhaíocht
— the office, rank, or character of a primate
Portuguese:
primado
— the office, rank, or character of a primate
Russian:
первосвяти́тельство
(pervosvjatítelʹstvo)
— the office, rank, or character of a primate
