adj
Meaning 1
First, earliest or original.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
primordial
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: /pɹaɪˈmɔː.di.əl/
-
UK: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
General-American: /pɹaɪˈmɔɹ.di.əl/
-
US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
Australian: /pɹɑɪˈmoː.di.əl/
-
CMU ARPABET: P R IH0 M AO1 R D IY0 AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
-
CMU ARPABET 2: P R AY0 M AO1 R D IY0 AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Characteristic of the earliest stage of the development of an organism, or relating to a primordium.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: biology, natural-sciences
Examples
- a primordial leaf; a primordial cell
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Primeval.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 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).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A first principle or element.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
A primordial condition or state.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 7
having existed from the beginning; in an earliest or original stage or state
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- aboriginal forests
- primal eras before the appearance of life on earth
- the forest primeval
- primordial matter
- primordial forms of life
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: aboriginal, primal, primeval, primaeval
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From the Latin prīmōrdiālis (“of the beginning”). Compare primordium and -al.
Across languages
Translations
40 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: първоначален (pǎrvonačalen) — earliest
- Bulgarian: най-ранен (naj-ranen) — earliest
- Catalan: primordial — earliest
- Chinese Mandarin: 原始的 (yuánshǐ de) — earliest
- Dutch: oorspronkelijk — earliest
- Dutch: oer- — earliest
- Finnish: alku- — earliest
- Finnish: alkuperäinen — earliest
- French: primordial — earliest
- Galician: primordial — earliest
- Georgian: დასაბამიერი (dasabamieri) — earliest
- Georgian: პირველყოფილი (ṗirvelq̇opili) — earliest
- Georgian: თავდაპირველი (tavdaṗirveli) — earliest
- Georgian: ოდინდელი (odindeli) — earliest
- German: ursprünglich — earliest
- German: Ur- — earliest
- German: Frühzeit- — earliest
- German: primordial — earliest
- Greek: αρχέγονος (archégonos) — earliest
- Greek: πρωταρχικός (protarchikós) — earliest
- Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁיתִי (bereshití) — earliest
- Hungarian: ősi — earliest
- Icelandic: frum- — earliest
- Icelandic: upprunalegur — earliest
- Icelandic: upphafs- — earliest
- Italian: primordiale — earliest
- Japanese: 原初の (gensho no) — earliest
- Kazakh: әдепкі (ädepkı) — earliest
- Polish: pierwotny — earliest
- Polish: początkowy — earliest
- Portuguese: primordial — earliest
- Russian: изнача́льный (iznačálʹnyj) — earliest
- Spanish: primordial — earliest
- Swedish: ursprunglig — earliest
- Turkish: esasî — earliest
- Turkish: ilk — earliest
- Turkish: kökensel — earliest
- Ukrainian: пе́рві́сний (pérvísnyj) — earliest
- Esperanto: praa — primeval
- Greek: πρωτογενής (protogenís) — first principle or element
Real reading context