primer.
A prayer or devotional book intended for laity, initially an abridgment of the breviary and manual including the hours of the Virgin Mary, 15 gradual and 7 penitential psalms, the litany, the placebo and dirige forming the office of the dead, and the commendations.
Meaning & usage
A prayer or devotional book intended for laity, initially an abridgment of the breviary and manual including the hours of the Virgin Mary, 15 gradual and 7 penitential psalms, the litany, the placebo and dirige forming the office of the dead, and the commendations.
Any of various similar works issued in England for private prayer in accordance with the Book of Common Prayer.
A children's book intended to teach literacy: how to read, write, and spell.
An introductory text on any subject, particularly basic concepts.
An elementary school class; an elementary school student.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English primer, primere, from Medieval Latin primarius and primarium (“prayer book”) possibly via Anglo-Norman primer (“prayer book”), from prima (“prime the liturgical hour and office”) + -arius and -arium (suffix forming related objects). Its use for schoolbooks derived from the late medieval and early modern use of such prayer books to teach reading.
Any substance or device, such as priming wire or blasting cap, used to ignite gunpowder or other explosive.
A person who primes explosives.
A substance used to prime wood, metal, etc. in preparation for painting.
A layer of such a substance.
A layer of makeup that goes beneath the foundation; undermakeup.
A person who primes wood, metal, etc.
A molecule which initiates the synthesis of an enzyme, (especially) a single-stranded nucleic acid molecule which initiates DNA replication.
A pheromone which interacts first with the endocrine system.
A device used to prime an internal combustion engine with gasoline, (especially) in airplanes.
A person who prunes trees.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree English prime Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English primer From prime + -er.
First in time, initial, early.
First in importance, premier.
First in position, foremost.
Where this word comes from
From Anglo-Norman primer (“first”), from Latin prīmārius (“first”).
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.