primal

CEFRB2

/ˈpɹaɪməl/

adjective · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    adjective

    Relating to the earliest or most basic part of something.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Extra detail

    Being one of the pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass during butchering, prior to division into smaller cuts.

Examples

  • Appetite is one of humankind's three primal needs, alongside sleep and sexual desire.

  • There's a certain primal joy in building a fire.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
4

Deep Dive

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Of greatest importance; primary.

  2. Being the first in time or in history.

noun

Extra meaning

  1. A primal cut (of meat).

More examples

In context

  • You awaken primal urges in me.

  • Primaling on the infant level seems so genuinely babyish that the unsophisticated observer may mistake it for psychotic behavior.

  • “I think I trigger a lot of their primal rage,” Mr. Greenwald said, referring to Brazilians who support the president. “They view me as someone who deserves to be punished.”

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The blank instinct to survive drives all animals in the wild.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

adjective

Probably partly from Medieval Latin prīmālis, from Latin prīmus (“first”) + -ālis, and partly from prime + -al.