prime

adjective

/praɪm/

[only before noun]

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main; most important; basic
- My prime concern is to protect my property.
- Winning is not the prime objective in this sport.
- The care of the environment is of prime importance.
- He's the police's prime suspect in this case.
Synonyms main
main
- major
- key
- central
- principal
- chief
- prime
These words all describe somebody/something that is the largest or most important of its kind.
- main [only before noun] largest or most important:
  Be careful crossing the main road.
  The main thing is to remain calm.
- major [usually before noun] very large or important:
  He played a major role in setting up the system.
  When major is used with the or my/your/his/her/our/their it means ‘the largest or most important’: Our major concern here is combating poverty. In this meaning it is only used to talk about ideas or worries that people have, not physical things, and it is also more formal than main: Be careful crossing the major road. • The major thing is to remain calm.
- key [usually before noun] most important; essential:
  He was a key figure in the campaign.
  Key is used most frequently in business and political contexts. It can be used to talk about ideas, or the part that somebody plays in a situation, but not physical things. It is slightly more informal than major, especially when used after a noun and linking verb: Speed is key at this point.
- central (rather formal) most important:
  The central issue is that of widespread racism.
  Central is used in a similar way to key, but is more formal. It is most frequently used in the phrase something is central to something else.
- principal [only before noun] (rather formal) most important:
  The principal reason for this omission is lack of time.
  Principal is mostly used for statements of fact about which there can be no argument. To state an opinion, or to try to persuade somebody of the facts as you see them, it is more usual to use key or central: The key/central issue here is…
- chief [only before noun] (rather formal) most important:
  Unemployment was the chief cause of poverty.
- prime [only before noun] (rather formal) most important; to be considered first:
  My prime concern is to protect my property.
Patterns
- a/the main/major/key/central/principal/chief/prime aim/concern
- a/the main/major/principal road/town/city
- the main/key thing is to…
- to be of major/key/central/prime importance
of the best quality; excellent
- prime (cuts of) beef
- The store has a prime position in the mall.
Extra Examples
- Over £100 000 worth of prime lamb was destroyed in the fire.
- a prime location in the centre of town
a prime example of something is one that is typical of it
- The building is a prime example of 1960s architecture.
most likely to be chosen for something; most suitable
- The house is isolated and a prime target for burglars.
- He's a prime candidate for promotion.

Word Originadjective Old English prīm (referring to a service of the Divine Office of the Western Church, said at the first hour of the day), from Latin prima (hora) ‘first (hour)’, reinforced in Middle English by Old French prime; the adjective dates from late Middle English, via Old French from Latin primus ‘first’.

prime

noun

/praɪm/

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[singular] the time in your life when you are strongest or most successful
- a young woman in her prime
- He was barely 30 and in the prime of (his) life.
- These flowers are long past their prime.
Extra Examples
- She was cut off in her prime, and never lived to see the poems published.
- You're still in the prime of life.
Topics Successc2
(also prime number)
[countable] a number that can be divided exactly only by itself and 1, for example 7, 17 and 41

Word Originnoun Old English prīm (referring to a service of the Divine Office of the Western Church, said at the first hour of the day), from Latin prima (hora) ‘first (hour)’, reinforced in Middle English by Old French prime; the adjective dates from late Middle English, via Old French from Latin primus ‘first’.

prime

verb

/praɪm/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they prime	/praɪm/ /praɪm/
he / she / it primes	/praɪmz/ /praɪmz/
past simple primed	/praɪmd/ /praɪmd/
past participle primed	/praɪmd/ /praɪmd/
-ing form priming	/ˈpraɪmɪŋ/ /ˈpraɪmɪŋ/

Idioms

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to prepare somebody for a situation so that they know what to do, especially by giving them special information synonym brief
- prime somebody (with something) They had been primed with good advice.
- prime somebody (for something) She was ready and primed for action.
- prime somebody to do something He had primed his friends to give the journalists as little information as possible.
prime something to make something ready for use or action
- The bomb was primed, ready to explode.
prime something to prepare wood, metal, etc. for painting by covering it with a special paint that helps the next layer of paint to stay on

Word Originverb early 16th cent. (in the sense ‘fill, load’): origin uncertain; probably based on Latin primus ‘first’, since the sense expressed is a “first” operation prior to something else.

Idioms

prime the pump

to encourage the growth of a new or weak business or industry by putting money into it

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