prima

See also: Prima, primá, príma, primă, and přímá

Languages (29)

English

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Asturian • Catalan • Chavacano • Czech • Dutch • Esperanto • Franco-Provençal • French • Galician • German • Indonesian • Italian • Kabuverdianu • Ladin • Ladino • Latin • Lombard • Norwegian Bokmål • Occitan • Old Galician-Portuguese • Old Spanish • Papiamentu • Piedmontese • Portuguese • Romanian • Serbo-Croatian • Spanish • Swedish

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Page categories

English

Etymology

Derived from Italian prima, derived from Latin prīma.

Pronunciation

• enPR: prē′mə
• IPA^(key): /ˈpɹiː.mə/
• Rhymes: -iːmə
• Hyphenation: pri‧ma

Adjective

prima (not comparable)

1. most important

Related terms

• alla prima
• prima ballerina
• prima donna
• prima faciality
• prima facie
• prima materia
• prima scriptura

Translations

most important

Finnish: tärkein (fi)

Noun

prima (plural primas)

1. Short for prima ballerina.

Anagrams

• Pamir, Priam

Asturian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɾima/ [ˈpɾi.ma]
• Rhymes: -ima
• Syllabification: pri‧ma

Noun

prima f (plural primes)

1. cousin, female equivalent of primu

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [ˈpɾi.mə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈpɾi.ma]

• Audio (Barcelona):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ima
• Hyphenation: pri‧ma

Noun

prima f (plural primes)

1. premium (a bonus paid in addition to normal payments)

Adjective

prima

1. feminine singular of prim

Related terms

• ig-agaw

Further reading

• “prima”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “prima”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026
• “prima” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• Alcover, Antoni Maria; Moll, Francesc de Borja (1963), “prima”, in Diccionari català-valencià-balear (in Catalan)

Chavacano

Etymology

Inherited from Spanish prima (“female cousin”).

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: pri‧ma

Noun

prima

1. female cousin

   Coordinate term: primo

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈprɪma]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pri‧ma

Adjective

prima (indeclinable)

1. (informal) nice, great

Interjection

prima

1. nice

Related terms

• primární
• primář
• primářka
• primátor
• primátorka

Further reading

• “prima”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “prima”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Dutch

Alternative forms

• (informal, slang) priem

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian prima (“first, best”), which together with secunda and tertia denoted the three classes of wares. The latter two fell out of use, but prima stayed, although with a changed meaning.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpri.maː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pri‧ma

Adjective

prima (not comparable)

1. excellent

   Dat is een prima wijntje.

   That's an excellent wine.

2. (informal) OK, satisfactory, reasonably good; not exceptional

   De wijn was prima, hoor.

   The wine was all right.

Adverb

prima (not comparable)

1. good, fine

   Ik vind het helemaal prima.

   That's completely fine with me.

Derived terms

• dikke prima

Esperanto

Etymology

Etymology tree

Esperanto primo

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂

Proto-Italic *-ā

Latin -ader.

▲

Latin -a

Italian -ader.

▲

Latin -a

Old Spanish -a

Spanish -ader.

Esperanto -a

Esperanto prima

From primo + -a.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈprima/
• Rhymes: -ima
• Syllabification: pri‧ma

Adjective

prima (accusative singular priman, plural primaj, accusative plural primajn)(mathematics)

2. prime (element)

   prima faktoro ― prime factor

4. prime (ideal)

   La idealo de ĉiuj obloj de kvar ne estas prima, ĉar ses oble dek apartenas al ĝi, sed nek ses, nek dek estas obloj de kvar. ― The ideal of all multiples of four is not prime, because six times ten belongs to it, but neither six, nor ten are multiples of four.

6. relatively prime (elements)

   Dek kaj dudek unu ne estas primaj, sed ili estas primaj inter si. ― Ten and twenty-one are not prime, but they are prime to each other.

Related terms

• sense 1: primo
• sense 2: idealo
• sense 3: entjero, ringo, divizoro, inversigebla

See also

• interprimuma

References

• “prima”, in Reta Vortaro [Online Dictionary] (in Esperanto), 1997-2026

Franco-Provençal

Adjective

prima

1. feminine singular of prim

French

Pronunciation

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Verb

prima

1. third-person singular past historic of primer

Anagrams

• parmi
• Priam

Galician

Etymology 1

Noun

prima f (plural primas)

1. female equivalent of primo (“cousin”)

   Synonym: curmá

Related terms

• primo

Etymology 2

Noun

prima f (plural primas)

1. bonus

Etymology 3

Verb

prima

1. inflection of primar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian prima.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpʁiːma]

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

Adjective

prima (strong nominative masculine singular primaer, not comparable)

1. (colloquial) great, super

   Synonyms: toll, klasse, schnieke

Further reading

• “prima” in Duden online
• “prima”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎^[1] (in German)

Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch prima and priem, ultimately from Latin primus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpri.ma/
• Rhymes: -ma
• Hyphenation: pri‧ma

Adjective

prima (comparative lebih prima, superlative paling prima)

1. prime:
   1. first
   2. (mathematics) having exactly two integral factors: itself and unity (1 in the case of integers)
2. prima

Further reading

• “prima”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Italian

Alternative forms

• 1ª (abbreviation)

Etymology

See primo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpri.ma/
• Rhymes: -ima
• Hyphenation: prì‧ma

Adjective

prima f

1. feminine singular of primo

Adverb

prima

1. before

   Antonym: dopo

   Pensa prima di parlare. ― Think before you speak.

2. once, formerly
3. beforehand, in advance
4. earlier, sooner

Noun

prima f (plural prime)

1. the first
2. an opening night; a premier
3. the first year at school

Related terms

• di prima
• il prima possibile
• prima del tempo
• prima di tutto
• prima o poi
• primadonna
• primatista
• primato
• quanto prima

Descendants

• Dutch: prima
• German: prima
• Norwegian Bokmål: prima

Kabuverdianu

Etymology

Derived from Portuguese prima.

Noun

prima

1. cousin (daughter of the uncle)

Ladin

Adjective

prima

1. feminine singular of prim

Ladino

Pronunciation

• Audio (Paris):

  (file)

Adjective

prima (Hebrew spelling פרימה)

1. feminine singular of primo
   • 2006, Matilda Koén-Sarano, Por el plazer de kontar‎^[2], page 433:

     Fue la prima i únika vez ke vidi en Israel una piesa dada a livel enternasional.

     It was the first and only time that I saw a play in Israel given on [an] international level.

Noun

prima f (Hebrew spelling פרימה)

1. female equivalent of primo (“cousin”)
   • 1996, Sara Benveniste Benrey, edited by Yossi Benbenisty, Espertando el djudeo espanyol: poemas realidas i philosophia, kantes, sketches, piesas de teatro‎^[3], Yossi Benbenisty, page 291:

     Bella — Oh Dio! El es mi padre!
     Rivka — I el marido de mi prima. Ya me alegri muncho, es un buen ombre i mos keremos muncho bien, por siguro ke ya te va mirar komo un ijo suyo.

     Bella — Oh God! He’s my father!
     Rivka — And my cousin’s husband. Now he really pleased me; he is a good man and we love each other very much, definitely now that he is going to see you like his child.

Verb

prima (Hebrew spelling פרימה)

1. first-person singular present subjunctive of premir
2. third-person singular present subjunctive of premir
3. third-person singular present indicative of primar
4. second-person singular imperative of primar

Latin

Numeral

prīma

1. inflection of prīmus:
   1. nominative/vocative feminine singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural

Numeral

prīmā

1. ablative feminine singular of prīmus

   prīmā lūce ― at first light, at daybreak

References

• "prima", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “prima”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner; Henry William Auden (1894), Latin Phrase-Book‎^[4], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • at daybreak: prima luce
    
  • from one's entry into civil life: ab ineunte (prima) aetate (De Or. 1. 21. 97)
    
  • to teach children the rudiments: pueros elementa (prima) docere
    
  • premises; consequences: prima (superiora); consequentia (Fin. 4. 19. 54)
    

Lombard

Etymology

Inherited from Latin prīma.

Pronunciation

• (Old Lombard) IPA^(key): [ˈpɾima]

Adjective

prima f (masculine primo)

1. (Old Lombard) the first
   • 1274, Bonvesin de la Riva, Libro de Tre Scrigiure:

     La prima sì è negra e è de grand pagura

     The first is black and instills great fear

Descendants

• Lombard: primma

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Derived from Italian prima (“before, once, at first, earlier”), feminine singular of primo (“first, initial, main”), from Latin prīmus (“first”), from earlier prīsmos, from Proto-Italic *priisemos (“foremost, first”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- (“before, in front”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpriːma/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːma
• Hyphenation: pri‧ma

Adverb

prima

1. only used in a prima vista (“sight-read”)

Anagrams

• rimpa

Occitan

Etymology

Shortened from Old Occitan primavera, from Late Latin prīma vēra (“early spring”). Cf. the unshortened Gascon form primavèra.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpʁi.mɒ], [ˈpri.mɒ]

• Audio (Béarn):

  (file)

Noun

prima f (plural primas)

1. spring (seasons)

See also

Seasons in Occitan · sasons (layout · text) · category
prima (“spring”)	estiu (“summer”)	auton (“autumn”)	ivèrn (“winter”)

Old Galician-Portuguese

Adjective

prima

1. feminine singular of primo

Noun

prima f

1. female equivalent of primo (“cousin”)
2. (Christianity) First canonical hour.

References

• Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “prima”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega

Old Spanish

Adjective

prima

1. feminine singular of primo

Noun

prima

1. female equivalent of primo (“cousin”)
2. (Christianity) First canonical hour.

References

• Ralph Steele Boggs et al. (1946), “prima”, in Tentative Dictionary of Medieval Spanish, volume II, Chapel Hill, page 409

Papiamentu

Etymology

Derived from Portuguese prima and Spanish prima and Kabuverdianu prima.

Noun

prima

1. cousin (daughter of the uncle)

Piedmontese

Etymology

From Late Latin prīma vēra (“early spring”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈpri.mɐ]

Noun

prima f

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

• AIS: Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz [Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Italy and Southern Switzerland] – map 311: “la primavera” – on navigais-web.pd.istc.cnr.it

Portuguese

Etymology 1

Inherited from Old Galician-Portuguese prima, from Latin prīma, feminine of prīmus (“first”), from Proto-Indo-European *per-.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈpɾĩ.mɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈpɾi.mɐ/

Noun

prima f (plural primas)

1. female equivalent of primo (“female cousin”)
2. (music) an instrument’s thinnest string
3. (Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy) the first canonical hour

Descendants

• → Hunsrik: Prim

Adjective

prima m or f (plural primas, not comparable)

1. (of birds of prey) female

   Açor-prima.

   Female goshawk.

Related terms

• obra prima
• matéria-prima
• primário
• primeiro
• primo

Etymology 2

Verb

prima

1. inflection of premir:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “prima”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “prima”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Romanian

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French primer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /priˈma/

Verb

a prima (third-person singular present primează, past participle primat) 1st conjugation

1. to prevail, to take precedent
   • 1991 June, Ion Ciocanu, “Poezia lui Vladimir Cavarnali [Poetry of Vladimir Cavarnali]”, in Limba română [Romanian language], number 2, Chișinău, page 108:

     Cavarnali a cultivat o poezie de atmosferă, profund interiorizată, în care primează stările sufletești ale personajului liric.

     Cavarnali cultivated an atmospheric, profoundly internalised poetry, in which prevail the states of mind of the lyrical character.

Conjugation

    conjugation of prima (first conjugation, -ez- infix)

infinitive	a prima
gerund	primând
past participle	primat
number	singular	plural
person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
present	primez	primezi	primează	primăm	primați	primează
imperfect	primam	primai	prima	primam	primați	primau
simple perfect	primai	primași	primă	primarăm	primarăți	primară
pluperfect	primasem	primaseși	primase	primaserăm	primaserăți	primaseră
subjunctive		eu	tu	el/ea	noi	voi	ei/ele
present	să primez	să primezi	să primeze	să primăm	să primați	să primeze
imperative		—	tu	—	—	voi	—
affirmative		primează			primați
negative		nu prima			nu primați

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpri.ma/

Adjective

prima

1. definite nominative/accusative feminine singular of prim

Further reading

• “prima”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2026

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Italian prima.

Noun

prima f (Cyrillic spelling прима)

1. (music) unison

Further reading

• “prima”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026
• “prima”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2026

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

prima (Cyrillic spelling прима)

1. third-person singular present of primati

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɾima/ [ˈpɾi.ma]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ima
• Syllabification: pri‧ma

Etymology 1

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *per-

Proto-Indo-European *preh₂-der.

Proto-Italic *pri

Proto-Indo-European *-yōs

Proto-Indo-European *-(t)m̥mos

Proto-Indo-European *-is(t)m̥mós

Proto-Italic *-isəmos

Proto-Italic *prīzmos

Latin prīma

Spanish prima

Inherited from Latin prīma.

Noun

prima f (plural primas, masculine primo, masculine plural primos)

1. female equivalent of primo (“female cousin”)

Hyponyms

• prima cuarta
• prima hermana
• prima quinta
• prima segunda
• prima tercera

Etymology 2

From primo.

Noun

prima f (plural primas)

1. bonus

   Synonyms: bonificación, bono, premio

2. premium (amount to be paid for an insurance policy)
3. (music) the highest-pitched string on a string instrument
   • 1888, Eduardo Acevedo Díaz, Ismael‎^[5], Buenos Aires: La Tribuna Nacional:

     Oíase como un ruido de alborozo en la enramada, donde un cantor unía las notas de su voz bronca a las de la prima y la bordona, atrayendo al sitio algunas mozas de trenza y pollera corta, y no pocas comadres de edad madura.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• cazaprimas
• prima de riesgo

Adjective

prima f

1. feminine singular of primo

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

prima

1. inflection of premir:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative
2. inflection of primar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “primo”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin prima, from Latin primus (“first”).

Adjective

prima (not inflected)

1. excellent; top quality

Anagrams

• impar