primary
noun/ˈpraɪməri/
/ˈpraɪmeri/
(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
- He ran in the open primary for election as a state senator.
- the next round of primaries
Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘original, not derivative’): from Latin primarius, from primus ‘first’. The noun uses date from the 18th cent.Want to learn more?
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See primary in the Oxford Advanced American DictionaryCheck pronunciation:
primary