Word
primacy
Phoneticspri·ma·cy
US/ˈpɹaɪməsi/
UK/pɹˈaɪməsi/
Definition
n. the most important or highest position in a group. In religion, it refers to the belief that one person or thing is more important than others.
n. the state of being first or most important; the highest rank or priority. In a religious context, it refers to the belief in the supreme authority or superiority of one entity over others.
Examples
“The church teaches the primacy of the Pope.”
“The debate centered on the primacy of individual conscience over the dictates of the state.”
“Theological disputes regarding the primacy of the papacy have historically defined the boundaries of Catholic and Protestant thought, influencing the structure of the Church for centuries.”
Examples
simple
“The church teaches the primacy of the Pope.”
contextual
“The debate centered on the primacy of individual conscience over the dictates of the state.”
complex
“Theological disputes regarding the primacy of the papacy have historically defined the boundaries of Catholic and Protestant thought, influencing the structure of the Church for centuries.”
Real-World Examples
“The one thing shared among all the Court directors was a regard for the primacy of the author’s text.” Etymology
From Old French primacie, from Medieval Latin primatia (“office of a church primate”), from Latin primas plus a suffix corresponding to -acy. By surface analysis, prime + -acy.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/primacy