1.  prime(n = noun.quantity) prime quantity - a number that has no factor but itself and 1; Array
is a kind of number
has particulars: prime number

2.  prime(n = noun.time) bloom, blossom, efflorescence, flower, flush, heyday, peak - the period of greatest prosperity or productivity; Array
is a kind of period, period of time, time period
has particulars: golden age

3.  prime(n = noun.time) Array - the second canonical hour; about 6 a.m.; Array
is a kind of canonical hour

4.  prime(n = noun.time) prime of life - the time of maturity when power and vigor are greatest; Array
is a kind of adulthood, maturity

1.  prime(v = verb.change) Array - insert a primer into (a gun, mine, or charge) preparatory to detonation or firing; "prime a cannon"; "prime a mine"
is one way to fix, gear up, prepare, ready, set, set up
Derived form noun primer₂
Sample sentences: Somebody ----s something; Somebody ----s somebody; Something ----s somebody; Something ----s something; Somebody ----s something PP

2.  prime(v = verb.contact) ground, undercoat - cover with a primer; apply a primer to; Array
is one way to paint
Derived form noun primer₃
Sample sentences: They want to prime the doors

3.  prime(v = verb.change) Array - fill with priming liquid; "prime a car engine"
is one way to fill, fill up, make full
Sample sentences: Somebody ----s something; Something ----s something

1.  prime(s = adj.all) premier - first in rank or degree; "an architect of premier rank"; "the prime minister"

2.  prime(s = adj.all) Array - used of the first or originating agent; "prime mover"

3.  prime(s = adj.all) choice, prize, quality, select - of superior grade; "choice wines"; "prime beef"; "prize carnations"; "quality paper"; "select peaches"

4.  prime(a = adj.pert) Array - of or relating to or being an integer that cannot be factored into other integers; "prime number"

5.  prime(s = adj.all) meridian - being at the best stage of development; "our manhood's prime vigor"

1.  First in order of time; original; primeval; primitive; primary. Tennyson. [1913 Webster]
" In this sense the word is nearly superseded by primitive, except in the phrase prime cost." [1913 Webster]
"She was not the prime cause, but I myself." [1913 Webster]

2.  First in rank, degree, dignity, authority, or importance; as, prime minister. Dryden. [1913 Webster]

3.  First in excellence; of highest quality; as, prime wheat; a prime quality of cloth. [1913 Webster]

4.  Early; blooming; being in the first stage. [1913 Webster]
"His starry helm, unbuckled, showed him prime
In manhood where youth ended." [1913 Webster]

5.  Lecherous; lustful; lewd. Shak. [1913 Webster]

6.  Marked or distinguished by a mark (′) called a prime mark. [1913 Webster]

7.  Divisible by no number except itself or unity; as, 7 is a prime number. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

1.  The first part; the earliest stage; the beginning or opening, as of the day, the year, etc.; hence, the dawn; the spring. Chaucer. [1913 Webster]
"In the very prime of the world." [1913 Webster]
"Hope waits upon the flowery prime." [1913 Webster]

2.  The spring of life; youth; hence, full health, strength, or beauty; perfection. Dryden. [1913 Webster]

3.  That which is first in quantity; the most excellent portion; the best part. [1913 Webster]
"Give him always of the prime." [1913 Webster]

4.  The morning; specifically (R. C. Ch.), the first canonical hour, succeeding to lauds. [1913 Webster]
" Originally, prime denoted the first quarter of the artificial day, reckoned from 6 a. m. to 6 p. m. Afterwards, it denoted the end of the first quarter, that is, 9 a. m. Specifically, it denoted the first canonical hour, as now. Chaucer uses it in all these senses, and also in the sense of def. 1, above." [1913 Webster]
"Early and late it rung, at evening and at prime." [1913 Webster]
"They sleep till that it was pryme large." [1913 Webster]

5.  The first of the chief guards. [1913 Webster]

6.  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. [1913 Webster]

7.  A prime number. See under Prime, a. [1913 Webster]

8.  An inch, as composed of twelve seconds in the duodecimal system; -- denoted by [′]. See 2d Inch, n., 1. [1913 Webster]

1.  To apply priming to, as a musket or a cannon; to apply a primer to, as a metallic cartridge. [1913 Webster]

2.  To lay the first color, coating, or preparation upon (a surface), as in painting; as, to prime a canvas, a wall. [1913 Webster]

3.  To prepare; to make ready; to instruct beforehand; to post; to coach; as, to prime a witness; the boys are primed for mischief. Thackeray. [1913 Webster]

4.  To trim or prune, as trees. [1913 Webster]

5.  To mark with a prime mark. [1913 Webster]

1.  To be renewed, or as at first. [1913 Webster]
"Night's bashful empress, though she often wane,
As oft repeats her darkness, primes again." [1913 Webster]

2.  To serve as priming for the charge of a gun. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

prime, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 chief, most important (the prime agent; the prime motive).
2 (esp. of cattle and provisions) first-rate, excellent.
3 primary, fundamental.
4 Math. a (of a number) divisible only by itself and unity (e.g. 2, 3, 5, 7, 11). b (of numbers) having no common factor but unity.
--n.
1 the state of the highest perfection of something (in the prime of life).
2 (prec. by the; foll. by of) the best part.
3 the beginning or first age of anything.
4 Eccl. a the second canonical hour of prayer, appointed for the first hour of the day (i.e. 6 a.m.). b the office of this. c archaic this time.
5 a prime number.
6 Printing a symbol (') added to a letter etc. as a distinguishing mark, or to a figure as a symbol for minutes or feet.
7 the first of eight parrying positions in fencing.

Idiom:
prime cost the direct cost of a commodity in terms of materials, labour, etc. prime meridian
1 the meridian from which longitude is reckoned, esp. that passing through Greenwich.
2 the corresponding line on a map. prime minister the head of an elected government; the principal minister of a sovereign or State.
prime mover
1 an initial natural or mechanical source of motive power.
2 the author of a fruitful idea. prime rate the lowest rate at which money can be borrowed commercially. prime time the time at which a radio or television audience is expected to be at its highest. prime vertical the great circle of the heavens passing through the zenith and the E. and W. points of the horizon.

Derivative:
primeness n.

prime, v.tr.
1 prepare (a thing) for use or action.
2 prepare (a gun) for firing or (an explosive) for detonation.
3 a pour (a liquid) into a pump to prepare it for working. b inject petrol into (the cylinder or carburettor of an internal-combustion engine).
4 prepare (wood etc.) for painting by applying a substance that prevents paint from being absorbed.
5 equip (a person) with information etc.
6 ply (a person) with food or drink in preparation for something.

Etymology:
16th c.: orig. unkn.

N  importance, consequence, moment, prominence, consideration, mark, materialness, import, significance, concern, emphasis, interest, greatness, superiority, notability, weight, value, usefulness, gravity, seriousness, solemnity, no joke, no laughing matter, pressure, urgency, stress, matter of life and death, memorabilia, notabilia, great doings, red-letter day, great thing, great point, main chance, the be all and the end all, cardinal point, substance, gist, sum and substance, gravamen, head and front, important part, principal part, prominent part, essential part, half the battle, sine qua non, breath of one's nostrils, cream, salt, core, kernel, heart, nucleus, keynote, keystone, corner stone, trump card, salient points, top sawyer, first fiddle, prima donna, chief, triton among the minnows, 'it', important, of importance, momentous, material, to the point, not to be overlooked, not to be despised, not to be sneezed at, egregious, weighty, of note, notable, prominent, salient, signal, memorable, remarkable, unforgettable, worthy of remark, worthy of notice, never to be forgotten, stirring, eventful, grave, serious, earnest, noble, grand, solemn, impressive, commanding, imposing, urgent, pressing, critical, instant, paramount, essential, vital, all-absorbing, radical, cardinal, chief, main, prime, primary, principal, leading, capital, foremost, overruling, of vital importance in the front rank, first-rate, superior, considerable, marked, rare, significant, telling, trenchant, emphatic, pregnant, tanti, materially, in the main, above all, kat' exochin, par excellence, to crown all, to beat all, expende Hannibalem!.

N  goodness, excellence, merit, virtue, value, worth, price, super-excellence, supereminence, superiority, perfection, coup de maitre, masterpiece, chef d'ouvre, prime, flower, cream, elite, pick, A, nonesuch, nonpareil, creme de la creme, flower of the flock, cock of the roost, salt of the earth, champion, prodigy, tidbit, gem, gem of the first water, bijou, precious stone, jewel, pearl, diamond, ruby, brilliant, treasure, good thing, rara avis, one in a thousand, beneficence, good man, harmless, hurtless, unobnoxious, innocuous, innocent, inoffensive, beneficial, valuable, of value, serviceable, advantageous, edifying, profitable, salutary, favorable, propitious fair, good, good as gold, excellent, better, superior, above par, nice, fine, genuine, best, choice, select, picked, elect, recherche, rare, priceless, unparagoned, unparalleled, superlatively, good, bully, crackajack, giltedged, superfine, superexcellent, of the first water, first-rate, first-class, high- wrought, exquisite, very best, crack, prime, tiptop, capital, cardinal, standard, inimitable, admirable, estimable, praiseworthy, pleasing, couleur de rose, precious, of great price, costly, worth its weight in gold, worth a Jew's eye, priceless, invaluable, inestimable, precious as the apple of the eye, tolerable, up to the mark, unexceptionable, unobjectionable, satisfactory, tidy, in good condition, in fair condition, fresh, sound, beneficially, well, Jewels five words long, long may such goodness live!, the luxury of doing good, goodness, excellence, merit, virtue, value, worth, price, super-excellence, supereminence, superiority, perfection, coup de maitre, masterpiece, chef d'ouvre, prime, flower, cream, elite, pick, A, nonesuch, nonpareil, creme de la creme, flower of the flock, cock of the roost, salt of the earth, champion, prodigy, tidbit, gem, gem of the first water, bijou, precious stone, jewel, pearl, diamond, ruby, brilliant, treasure, good thing, rara avis, one in a thousand, beneficence, good man, harmless, hurtless, unobnoxious, innocuous, innocent, inoffensive, beneficial, valuable, of value, serviceable, advantageous, edifying, profitable, salutary, favorable, propitious fair, good, good as gold, excellent, better, superior, above par, nice, fine, genuine, best, choice, select, picked, elect, recherche, rare, priceless, unparagoned, unparalleled, superlatively, good, bully, crackajack, giltedged, superfine, superexcellent, of the first water, first-rate, first-class, high- wrought, exquisite, very best, crack, prime, tiptop, capital, cardinal, standard, inimitable, admirable, estimable, praiseworthy, pleasing, couleur de rose, precious, of great price, costly, worth its weight in gold, worth a Jew's eye, priceless, invaluable, inestimable, precious as the apple of the eye, tolerable, up to the mark, unexceptionable, unobjectionable, satisfactory, tidy, in good condition, in fair condition, fresh, sound, beneficially, well, Jewels five words long, long may such goodness live!, the luxury of doing good.

VB  prepare, get ready, make ready, make preparations, settle preliminaries, get up, sound the note of preparation, set in order, put in order, forecast, prepare the ground, plow the ground, dress the ground, till the soil, cultivate the soil, predispose, sow the seed, lay a train, dig a mine, lay the groundwork, fix the groundwork, lay the basis, fix the basis, lay the foundations, fix the foundations, dig the foundations, erect the scaffolding, lay the first stone, roughhew, cut out work, block out, hammer out, lick into shape, elaborate, mature, ripen, mellow, season, bring to maturity, nurture, hatch, cook, brew, temper, anneal, smelt, barbecue, infumate, maturate, equip, arm, man, fit-out, fit up, furnish, rig, dress, garnish, betrim, accouter, array, fettle, fledge, dress up, furbish up, brush up, vamp up, refurbish, sharpen one's tools, trim one's foils, set, prime, attune, whet the knife, whet the sword, wind up, screw up, adjust, put in trim, put in train, put in gear, put in working order, put in tune, put in a groove for, put in harness, pack, train, inure, breed, prepare for, rehearse, make provision for, take steps, take measures, take precautions, provide, provide against, beat up for recruits, open the door to, set one's house in order, make all snug, clear the decks, clear for action, close one's ranks, shuffle the cards, prepare oneself, serve an apprenticeship, lay oneself out for, get into harness, gird up one's loins, buckle on one's armor, reculer pour mieux sauter, prime and load, shoulder arms, get the steam up, put the horses to, guard against, make sure against, forearm, make sure, prepare for the evil day, have a rod in pickle, provide against a rainy day, feather one's nest, lay in provisions, make investments, keep on foot, be prepared, be ready, hold oneself in readiness, keep one's powder dry, lie in wait for, anticipate, principiis obstare, veniente occurrere morbo.

N  number, symbol, numeral, figure, cipher, digit, integer, counter, round number, formula, function, series, sum, difference, complement, subtrahend, product, multiplicand, multiplier, multiplicator, coefficient, multiple, dividend, divisor, factor, quotient, submultiple, fraction, rational number, surd, irrational number, transcendental number, mixed number, complex number, complex conjugate, numerator, denominator, decimal, circulating decimal, repetend, common measure, aliquot part, prime number, prime, relative prime, prime factor, prime pair, reciprocal, totient, binary number, octal number, hexadecimal number, permutation, combination, variation, election, ratio, proportion, comparison, progression, arithmetical progression, geometrical progression, harmonical progression, percentage, permilage, figurate numbers, pyramidal numbers, polygonal numbers, power, root, exponent, index, logarithm, antilogarithm, modulus, base, differential, integral, fluxion, fluent, numeral, complementary, divisible, aliquot, reciprocal, prime, relatively prime, fractional, decimal, figurate, incommensurable, proportional, exponential, logarithmic, logometric, differential, fluxional, integral, totitive, positive, negative, rational, irrational, surd, radical, real, complex, imaginary, finite, infinite, impossible, numerically, modulo, number, symbol, numeral, figure, cipher, digit, integer, counter, round number, formula, function, series, sum, difference, complement, subtrahend, product, multiplicand, multiplier, multiplicator, coefficient, multiple, dividend, divisor, factor, quotient, submultiple, fraction, rational number, surd, irrational number, transcendental number, mixed number, complex number, complex conjugate, numerator, denominator, decimal, circulating decimal, repetend, common measure, aliquot part, prime number, prime, relative prime, prime factor, prime pair, reciprocal, totient, binary number, octal number, hexadecimal number, permutation, combination, variation, election, ratio, proportion, comparison, progression, arithmetical progression, geometrical progression, harmonical progression, percentage, permilage, figurate numbers, pyramidal numbers, polygonal numbers, power, root, exponent, index, logarithm, antilogarithm, modulus, base, differential, integral, fluxion, fluent, numeral, complementary, divisible, aliquot, reciprocal, prime, relatively prime, fractional, decimal, figurate, incommensurable, proportional, exponential, logarithmic, logometric, differential, fluxional, integral, totitive, positive, negative, rational, irrational, surd, radical, real, complex, imaginary, finite, infinite, impossible, numerically, modulo.

N  oldness, age, antiquity, cobwebs of antiquity, maturity, decline, decay, senility, seniority, eldership, primogeniture, archaism, thing of the past, relic of the past, megatherium, Sanskrit, tradition, prescription, custom, immemorial usage, common law, old, ancient, antique, of long standing, time-honored, venerable, elder, eldest, firstborn, prime, primitive, primeval, primigenous, paleolontological, paleontologic, paleoanthropological, paleoanthropic, paleolithic, primordial, primordinate, aboriginal, diluvian, antediluvian, protohistoric, prehistoric, antebellum, colonial, precolumbian, patriarchal, preadamite, paleocrystic, fossil, paleozoolical, paleozoic, preglacial, antemundane, archaic, classic, medieval, Pre-Raphaelite, ancestral, black-letter, immemorial, traditional, prescriptive, customary, whereof the memory of man runneth not to the contr, inveterate, rooted, antiquated, of other times, rococo, of the old school, after-age, obsolete, out of date, out of fashion, out of it, stale, old-fashioned, behind the age, old-world, exploded, gone out, gone by, passe, run out, senile, time worn, crumbling, secondhand, old as the hills, old as Methuselah, old as Adam, old as history, Archeozoic, Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic, Precambrian, Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous, Tertiary, Paleogene, Neocene, Quaternary, Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene, Recent, since the world was made, since the year one, since the days of Methuselah, vetera extollimus recentium incuriosi.

N  morning, morn, forenoon, a, m, prime, dawn, daybreak, dayspring, foreday, sunup, peep of day, break of day, aurora, first blush of the morning, first flush of the morning, prime of the morning, twilight, crepuscule, sunrise, cockcrow, cockcrowing, the small hours, the wee hours of the morning, spring, vernal equinox, first point of Aries, noon, midday, noonday, noontide, meridian, prime, nooning, noontime, summer, midsummer, matin, matutinal, vernal, at sunrise, with the sun, with the lark, when the morning dawns, at shut of evening flowers, entre chien et loup, flames in the forehead of the morning sky, the breezy call of incense-breathing morn, morning, morn, forenoon, a, m, prime, dawn, daybreak, dayspring, foreday, sunup, peep of day, break of day, aurora, first blush of the morning, first flush of the morning, prime of the morning, twilight, crepuscule, sunrise, cockcrow, cockcrowing, the small hours, the wee hours of the morning, spring, vernal equinox, first point of Aries, noon, midday, noonday, noontide, meridian, prime, nooning, noontime, summer, midsummer, matin, matutinal, vernal, at sunrise, with the sun, with the lark, when the morning dawns, at shut of evening flowers, entre chien et loup, flames in the forehead of the morning sky, the breezy call of incense-breathing morn.

N  earliness, morning, punctuality, promptitude, haste, suddenness, prematurity, precocity, precipitation, anticipation, a stitch in time, early, prime, forward, prompt, summary, premature, precipitate, precocious, prevenient, anticipatory, rath, sudden, unexpected, near, near at hand, immediate, early, soon, anon, betimes, rath, eft, eftsoons, ere long, before long, shortly, beforehand, prematurely, precipitately, too soon, before its time, before one's time, in anticipation, unexpectedly, suddenly, before one can say 'Jack Robinson', at short notice, extempore, on the spur of the moment, on the spur of the occasion, at once, on the spot, on the instant, at sight, offhand, out of hand, a' vue d'oeil, straight, straightway, straightforth, forthwith, incontinently, summarily, immediately, briefly, shortly, quickly, speedily, apace, before the ink is dry, almost immediately, presently at the first opportunity, in no long time, by and by, in a while, directly, no sooner said than done, immediately, if not sooner, tout vient a temps pour qui sait attendre.

VB  teach, instruct, educate, edify, school, tutor, cram, prime, coach, enlighten, inculcate, indoctrinate, inoculate, infuse, instill, infix, ingraft, infiltrate, imbue, impregnate, implant, graft, sow the seeds of, disseminate, given an idea of, put up to, put in the way of, set right, sharpen the wits, enlarge the mind, give new ideas, open the eyes, bring forward, teach the young idea how to shoot, improve, expound, lecture, read a lesson, give a lesson, give a lecture, give a sermon, give a discourse, incept, hold forth, preach, sermonize, moralize, point a moral, train, discipline, bring up, bring up to, form, ground, prepare, qualify, drill, exercise, practice, habituate, familiarize with, nurture, drynurse, breed, rear, take in hand, break, break in, tame, preinstruct, initiate, inure, put to nurse, send to school, direct, guide, direct attention to, impress upon the mind, impress upon the memory, beat into, beat into the head, convince, book, workbook, exercise book, preach to the wise, teach one's grandmother to suck eggs, teach granny to suck eggs, preach to the converted.

prime factor, prime interest rate, prime meridian, prime minister, prime mover, prime number, prime of life, prime quantity, prime time