English Dictionary

prime

/pɹaɪ̯m/

noun

(historical) The first hour of daylight; the first canonical hour. / (Christianity) The religious service appointed to this hour. / (obsolete) The early morning generally.

The prime of the day is the best time to go for a run.

意味（1）

(historical) The first hour of daylight; the first canonical hour.

His larum bell might lowd and wyde be hard,

When cause requyrd, but neuer out of time;

His larum bell might lowd and wyde be hard, When cause requyrd, but neuer out of time; Early and late it rong, at euening and at prime.

意味（2）

(Christianity) The religious service appointed to this hour.

意味（3）

(obsolete) The early morning generally.

They all as glad, as birdes of ioyous Pryme […]

意味（4）

(now rare) The earliest stage of something.

To this end we see how quickly sundry artes Mechanical were found out in the very prime of the world.

意味（5）

The most active, thriving, or successful stage or period.

When I do count the clock that tells the time,

And see the brave day sunk in hideous night;

When I behold the violet past prime,

When I do count the clock that tells the time, And see the brave day sunk in hideous night; When I behold the violet past prime, And sable curls all silver’d o'er with white;

意味（6）

The chief or best individual or part.

Than he’s able to digest:

Give him always of the prime;

Than he’s able to digest: Give him always of the prime; And but a little at a time.

意味（7）

(music) The first note or tone of a musical scale.

意味（8）

(fencing) The first defensive position, with the sword hand held at head height, and the tip of the sword at head height.

意味（9）

(algebra, number theory) A prime element of a mathematical structure, particularly a prime number.

Some poems, echoing the purpose of early poetic treatises on scientific principles, attempt to elucidate the mathematical concepts that underlie prime numbers. Others play with primes’ cultural associations. Still others derive their structure from mathematical patterns involving primes.

意味（10）

(card games) A four-card hand containing one card of each suit in the game of primero; the opposite of a flush in poker.

意味（11）

(backgammon) Six consecutive blocks, which prevent the opponent's pieces from passing.

I'm threatening to build a prime here.

意味（12）

The symbol ′ used to indicate feet, minutes, derivation and other measures and mathematical operations.

意味（13）

(chemistry, obsolete) 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.

意味（14）

An inch, as composed of twelve seconds in the duodecimal system.

意味（15）

(obsolete) The priming in a flintlock.

[…] he pull’d the Trigger, but Providence being pleas’d to preserve me for some other Purpose, the Cock snapp’d, and miss’d Fire. Whether the Prime was wet in the Pan, or by what other Miracle it was I escap’d his Fury, I cannot say […]

意味（16）

(film) Contraction of prime lens, a film lens.

Tomlinson, Shawn M. (2015) Going Pro for $200 & How to Choose a Prime Lens, →ISBN: “By the time I shifted to my first autofocus film SLR with the Pentax PZ-10, primes were considered things of the past”

意味（17）

A feather, from the wing of the cock ostrich, that is of the palest possible shade.