English
primal
Primal may come from Medieval Latin prīmālis.
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500prīmālisuncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1870primal
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500prīmālisuncertain
- Englishearliest quotation 1870primal
Earliest quotation: 1870, Friedrich Nietzsche, Nietzsche: The Preplatonic Philosophers: “The most primal motion of all, of course, is…”
Formed from prime + -al
Proto-Italic *pri ‘before’
Proto-Italic *priisemos ‘foremost, first’
Latin prīmus ‘first; chief’
Old French prime
Middle English prime
English prime
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *per- ‘before, in front’
first, before, support, far, per, report, further, fear, opportunity, press, practice, private, port, price, pre, afford, appreciate, ford, forth, pregnant, parade, par, precious, practical, interpretation, praise, prize, ferry, pirate, fare, porch, privilege, pardon, interpreter, afar, pore, petra, disparate, depreciation, firth, 154 more
through Proto-Indo-European *préy ‘before, in front’
through Proto-Italic *prīzmos ‘foremost, first’
through Latin prīmus ‘first’
Today it means
adj Being the first in time or in history.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Medieval Latin prīmālis / primal