1. (a.) First in order of time; original; primeval; primitive; primary.

2. (a.) First in rank, degree, dignity, authority, or importance; as, prime minister.

3. (a.) First in excellence; of highest quality; as, prime wheat; a prime quality of cloth.

4. (a.) Early; blooming; being in the first stage.

5. (a.) Lecherous; lustful; lewd.

6. (a.) Marked or distinguished by a mark (') called a prime mark.

7. (n.) The first part; the earliest stage; the beginning or opening, as of the day, the year, etc.; hence, the dawn; the spring.

8. (n.) The spring of life; youth; hence, full health, strength, or beauty; perfection.

9. (n.) That which is first in quantity; the most excellent portion; the best part.

10. (n.) The morning; specifically (R. C. Ch.), the first canonical hour, succeeding to lauds.

11. (n.) The first of the chief guards.

12. (a.) Any number expressing the combining weight or equivalent of any particular element; -- so called because these numbers were respectively reduced to their lowest relative terms on the fixed standard of hydrogen as 1.

13. (n.) A prime number. See under Prime, a.

14. (n.) An inch, as composed of twelve seconds in the duodecimal system; -- denoted by [']. See 2d Inch, n., 1.

15. (v.) To apply priming to, as a musket or a cannon; to apply a primer to, as a metallic cartridge.

16. (v.) To lay the first color, coating, or preparation upon (a surface), as in painting; as, to prime a canvas, a wall.

17. (v.) To prepare; to make ready; to instruct beforehand; to post; to coach; as, to prime a witness; the boys are primed for mischief.

18. (v.) To trim or prune, as trees.

19. (v.) To mark with a prime mark.

20. (v. i.) To be renewed, or as at first.

21. (v. i.) To serve as priming for the charge of a gun.

22. (v. i.) To work so that foaming occurs from too violent ebullition, which causes water to become mixed with, and be carried along with, the steam that is formed; -- said of a steam boiler.

Eastertide Mass Maytime abecedarian aboriginal acme admirable adolescence adulthood adultness advise age of consent algorismic algorithmic aliquot all-absorbing alpha ancestral antecedent antenatal antepatriarchal anterior anticipatory apply paint apprise arch atavistic aurora autochthonous banner basic bedaub bedizen bedtime prayer begild beginning besmear best break of day breaking-in brief brightening brush on paint budding budtime butter calcimine camp meeting capital cardinal central champion chanticleer charge chief choice chosen church church service ci-devant coach coat cock cockcrow cocklight color complexion compline controlling cover crack of dawn cram cram with facts cream creative crowning dab dandy daub dawn dawning day-peep daybreak daylight dayspring decimal deep-dye detonate devotions differential digital dip discharge distemper divine service dominant double-dye drill driving age drop duty dye earlier earliest early educate eject elder elect elemental elementary elite emblazon embryonic enamel engild even evening devotions evensong excellent exceptional excite exercises exponential extraordinary face famous fast-dye fat fell fetal figural figurate figurative fine finite fire fire off first first blush first brightening first glance first impression first inning first lap first move first round first sight first stage first step first-class first-rate first-string flower flower of age focal for the best fore foregoing forehand foremost formative former forward foundational fractional fresco front frontal full age full bloom full growth fullgrownness fundamental galvanize gambit gestatory get ready get up steam gild glaze gloss grain great greatest greenness grown-upness gun gun for handpicked head headmost hegemonic heyday highest hit hue humanoid illuminate imaginary imbue impair impossible in embryo in its infancy in the bud inaugural inceptive inchoate inchoative incipient incunabular infant infantile infinite inform ingrain initial initiative initiatory instruct integral introductory inventive irrational japan juvenility lacquer lauds lay on lay on color le premier pas leading legal age legalis homo let fly let off light liturgy load logarithmic logometric magisterial maiden main majority make ready manhood manlihood master matchless matins mature age maturity