| 释义 |
† primstaff Obs.
Also 9 primestaff; pl. 7– primstaves.
[Sw. primstaf, Norw. and Da. primstav, Icel. prímstafr (in text of c 1200), f. prím prime n.1 + staf-r stave, letter.]
The Icelandic and Scandinavian name of a clog almanack. (Partly in Eng. form in Evelyn and Plot, and in mod. Dicts., but never in Eng. use.)
1662Evelyn Chalcogr. (1769) 38 Runic writings, or engraven letters, as in their rimstoc or primstaff. 1686Plot Staffordsh. 419 By the Norwegians..[wooden Almanacks] are call'd Primstaves,..the principall..thing inscribed on them, being the Prime or golden number. Ibid. 420 The Primstaf of the Norwegians. |