of chief importance; principal
the government's primary aim is to see significant reductions in unemployment
not derived from, caused by, or based on anything else; original
his expert handling of the primary and secondary literature is clear on every page
(of an organic compound) having its functional group located on a carbon atom which is bonded to no more than one other carbon atom
a primary alcohol
denoting or relating to organisms that produce organic compounds from simple substances such as water and carbon dioxide, typically by photosynthesis
the organic matter is formed by primary producers such as plants and plankton
there is a risk of famine in areas with low primary production from plants
relating to or denoting the input side of a transformer or other inductive device
(in the US) a preliminary election to appoint delegates to a party conference or to select the candidates for a principal, especially presidential, election
these two Republicans should win their primaries easily
a primary colour
the Palaeozoic era
(in the US) run against (the current holder of a political office) in the preliminary election a party uses to select its candidate for the main election
I'm not primarying the president, and no one else should either unless we want to lose the White House