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# primary

adjective (primary); noun (a primary, primaries — mainly US: a vote to choose a party's candidate)

«primary» in the English dictionary: everyday and in Jewish tradition — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Primary means first in importance; main. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primary/#m1)
2. Primary means first in order or time. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primary/#m2)
3. A primary school is the first school children go to, for about ages five to eleven. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primary/#m3)
4. The primary colours are the colours that can be mixed to make many others. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primary/#m4)

### In the lessons

School: primary school (UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand; in the USA «elementary school»). Art: in painting, the primary colours are red, yellow and blue; in light (screens) they are red, green and blue. Science and history: a primary source is a first-hand record from the time, like a letter or diary. Phrases: primary school, primary colours, primary source, of primary importance.

### Examples

- My little brother started primary school this term. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primary/#x1)
- Red, yellow and blue are the primary colours in painting. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primary/#x2)
- Mix two primary colours to make a secondary colour. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primary/#x3)
- Our primary aim is to keep everyone safe. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primary/#x4)
- A diary from the war is a primary source. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primary/#x5)
- Grass is a primary food for cows. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primary/#x6)

### Note

Not usually compared («more primary» is rare). Spelling: prim-ary. «Primary colours» in paint and in light are different sets — a common trap. Related: primarily (mainly).

## In Jewish tradition

Interpretation: In Sefer Yetzirah the word is a translator's choice, as in the "primary temptation" of the twenty-fifth path, where the Creator is said to test the righteous. In the primary lessons: School: primary school (UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand; in the USA «elementary school»). Art: in painting, the primary colours are red, yellow and blue; in light (screens) they are red, green and blue. Science and history: a primary source is a first-hand record from the time, like a letter or diary. Phrases: primary school, primary colours, primary source, of primary importance.

### Examples

- And on yet another level, it refers to the physical body, the primary metaphorical sense in which the term is encountered in the SY. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/primary/#x1)
- The Twenty-fifth Path is the Intelligence of Proba- tion, or is Tentative, and is so called because it is the primary temptation, by which the Creator trieth all righteous persons. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/primary/#x2)
- The Twenty-fifth Path is the Intelligence of Probation, or is Tentative, and is so called because it is the primary temptation, by which the Creator (blessed be He) trieth all righteous persons. (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/primary/#x3)

### Note

Not usually compared («more primary» is rare). Spelling: prim-ary. «Primary colours» in paint and in light are different sets — a common trap. Related: primarily (mainly).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «primary» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/primary/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«primary» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/primary.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of «primary» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/primary/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«primary» in the Judaism dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/judaism/w/primary.html) on Mova free.