EnglishMain Dictionary
primary
Universal Words
adjective, noun
adjective
1 [usuallybeforenoun] main; most important; basic:
The primary aim of this course is to improve your spoken English. * Our primary concern must be the children. * Good health care is of primary importance.
2 [usuallybeforenoun] developing or happening first; earliest:
primary causes * The disease is still in its primary stage.
3 [onlybeforenoun] (especially BrE) connected with the education of children between the ages of about five and eleven:
primary teachers
compareELEMENTARY, SECONDARY, TERTIARY
noun (plural primaries) (also primary election) (in the US) an election in which people in a particular area vote to choose a candidate for a future important election:
the Illinois primary * the presidential primaries
