a. | 1. | First in order of time; original; primeval; primitive; primary. |
| 2. | First in rank, degree, dignity, authority, or importance; as, prime minister. |
| 3. | First in excellence; of highest quality; as, prime wheat; a prime quality of cloth. |
| 4. | Early; blooming; being in the first stage. |
| 5. | Lecherous; lustful; lewd. |
| 6. | Marked or distinguished by a mark (´) called a prime mark. |
| 7. | (Math.) Divisible by no number except itself or unity; as, 7 is a prime number.Prime mover | a - | (Mech.) A natural agency applied by man to the production of power. Especially: Muscular force; the weight and motion of fluids, as water and air; heat obtained by chemical combination, and applied to produce changes in the volume and pressure of steam, air, or other fluids; and electricity, obtained by chemical action, and applied to produce alternation of magnetic force. | b - | An engine, or machine, the object of which is to receive and modify force and motion as supplied by some natural source, and apply them to drive other machines; as a water wheel, a water-pressure engine, a steam engine, a hot-air engine, etc. | c - | The original or the most effective force in any undertaking or work; as, Clarkson was the prime mover in English antislavery agitation. |
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n. | 1. | The first part; the earliest stage; the beginning or opening, as of the day, the year, etc.; hence, the dawn; the spring. |
| 2. | The spring of life; youth; hence, full health, strength, or beauty; perfection. |
| 3. | That which is first in quantity; the most excellent portion; the best part. |
| 4. | (R. C. Ch.) The morning; specifically (R. C. Ch.), the first canonical hour, succeeding to lauds. |
| 5. | (Fencing) The first of the chief guards. |
| 6. | (Chem.) 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. |
| 7. | (Arith.) A prime number. See under Prime, a. |
| 8. | An inch, as composed of twelve seconds in the duodecimal system; - denoted by [´]. See 2d Inch, n., 1. |
v. t. | 1. | To apply priming to, as a musket or a cannon; to apply a primer to, as a metallic cartridge. |
| 2. | To lay the first color, coating, or preparation upon (a surface), as in painting; as, to prime a canvas, a wall. |
| 3. | To prepare; to make ready; to instruct beforehand; to post; to coach; as, to prime a witness; the boys are primed for mischief. |
| 4. | To trim or prune, as trees. |
| 5. | (Math.) To mark with a prime mark. |
v. i. | 1. | To be renewed, or as at first. |
| 2. | To serve as priming for the charge of a gun. |
| 3. | 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. |