primary

1、prim- + -ary.
2、含义：of the first order, of the first rank, chief, principal.

primary 最早的，最主要的

来自prime,第一的，最初的，首要的，-ary,形容词后缀。

primary (adj.)

early 15c., "of the first order," from Latin primarius "of the first rank, chief, principal, excellent," from primus "first" (see prime (adj.)). Meaning "first in order" is from 1802. Primary color is first recorded 1610s (at first the seven of the spectrum, later the three from which others can be made); primary school is 1802, from French école primaire.

The Paris journals ... are full of a plan, brought forward by Fourcroy, for the establishment of primary schools, which is not interesting to an English reader. [London "Times," April 27, 1802]

Related: Primarily.

primary (n.)

1861, American English, short for primary election (1792, with reference to France; in a U.S. context from 1835); earlier primary caucus (1821).

1. It is nearly always women who are the primary care givers.

从事初级保健护理工作的几乎都是女性。

2. His misunderstanding of language was the primary cause of his other problems.

他对语言的误解是引起其他问题的主要原因。

3. Britain did not introduce compulsory primary education until 1880.

直到1880年，英国才开始实行初等义务教育。

4. He won the election because the Democrats self-destructed in their primary.

民主党在初选中自毁长城，所以才让他赢得了选举。

5. Mrs Steele was head of Didcot's C of E primary school.

斯蒂尔夫人曾是英国迪德科特圣公会小学的校长。

【primary, elemental, elementary】
这组词都有“基本的”的意思，其区别是：
primary: 可与作“初步的，初级”的elementary换用。
elemental: 强调属于事物的基础或本质。
elementary: 指属于事物的初步或起始阶段

【principal, leading, primary, foremost, capital, major, chief, main】
这组词都有“首要的，主要的”的意思，其区别是：
principal: 用于人时，指地位优于其他人；用于物时，指该物在大小、重要性等方面优于他物。
leading: 侧重指具有影响力或凝聚力。从而有主导和引导的作用。
primary: 通常不用于人。用于物时，指在重要性方面占第一位。
foremost: 侧重指在行进或发展过程中居首位。
capital: 着重指因重要性、意义、优越或重大而名列同类之首。
major: 指同其他人或其它物、问题等相比较，显得更加重要和突出。
chief: 拽人时，表同类中职位最高，权力最大；指物时，表同类中最重要，价值最高。
main: 通常只用于物。指在一定范围内，某物的重要性、体积或力量等超过其它物。