Etymology : Middle English, from Medieval Latin primarium, from Late Latin, neuter of primarius primary
Pronunciation : 'pri-m&r,
chiefly Briti
Function : noun
Date : 14th century
1. study book for teaching fundamental concepts and skill; cap or other object used to detonate explosives. primer\prim"er\ , n. [originally, the book read at prime, the first canonical hour. ll. primae liber. see:
prime, n., 4.].
2. originally, a small prayer book for church service, containing the little office of the virgin mary; also, a work of elementary religious instruction. the primer, or office of the blessed virgin. stillingfleet.
3. a small elementary book for teaching children to read; a reading or spelling book for a beginner. as he sat in the school at his prymer.
4. (print.) a kind of type, of which there are two species; one, called long primer, intermediate in size between bourgeois and small pica [see:
long primer]; the other, called great primer, larger than pica.note: great primer type.primer \prim"er\ , n. one who, or that which, primes; specifically, an instrument or device for priming; esp., a cap, tube, or water containing percussion powder or other compound for igniting a charge of gunpowder.primer \prim"er\, a. [of. primer, primier, premier, f. premier. see:
premier.] first; original; primary. [obs.] "the primer english kings."primer fine (o. eng. law), a fine due to the king on the writ or commencement of a suit by fine.primer seizin (feudal law), the right of the king, when a tenant in capite died seized of a knight's fee, to receive of the heir, if of full age, one year's profits of the land if in possession, and half a year's profits if the land was in reversion expectant on an estate for life; -- now abolished.primer n.
5. an introductory textbook.
6. any igniter by which an explosive charge is ignited [syn: fuse, fuze, fusee, fuzee, priming].
7. the first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface [syn: flat coat, ground, priming, primer coat , priming coat, undercoat].
8. primary.
9. One who, or that which, primes an instrument or device for priming; esp., a cap, tube, or water containing percussion powder or other compound for igniting a charge of gunpowder.
10. First; original; primary.
11. Originally, a small prayer book for church service, containing the little office of the Virgin Mary; also, a work of elementary religious instruction.
12. A small elementary book for teaching children to read; a reading or spelling book for a beginner.
13. A kind of type, of which there are two species; one, called long primer, intermediate in size between bourgeois and small pica [see:
Long primer]; the other, called great primer, larger than pica. an introductory textbook.
14. Primer is a type of paint that is put onto wood in order to prepare it for the main layer of paint.