English
primacy
Primacy comes from Medieval Latin primatia ‘office of a church primate’, from Latin primas ‘chief bishop, metropolitan, president of a synod’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- ‘before, in front’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*preh₂-‘before, in front’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*prireconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*prīzmos‘foremost, first’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīmus
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprimas‘chief bishop, metropolitan, president of a synod’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500primatia‘office of a church primate’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400primacie
- Englishearliest quotation 2023primacy
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*preh₂-‘before, in front’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*prireconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*prīzmos‘foremost, first’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEprīmus
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEprimas‘chief bishop, metropolitan, president of a synod’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500primatia‘office of a church primate’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400primacie
- Englishearliest quotation 2023primacy
Earliest quotation: 2023, Simon Mays, The Macroscopic Study of Human Skeletal Paleopathology: “In clinical practice, the generation of diagnostic hypotheses occurs…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- ‘before, in front’
for, first, prestigious, forbid, prairie, prefix, preface, precede, parasol, preeminent, parley, portobello, prescient, impregnate, 18 more
through Proto-Italic *pri
through Proto-Italic *prīzmos ‘foremost, first’
through Latin prīmus
Today it means
noun The state or condition of being prime or first, as in time, place, rank, preference etc.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- / primacy