ENGLISH
REFERENCE

primitive

n.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈpɹɪmətɪv// UK //pɹˈɪmɪtˌɪv// prim·i·tive Archaic

n. belonging to a very early stage of development or history. You use this to describe things that are simple, basic, or not modern.

n. relating to or denoting the earliest stage in the evolutionary or historical development of something. Often implies a lack of sophistication or a reliance on basic, non-industrial methods.


SIMPLE

The campers used primitive tools to build a fire.

CONTEXTUAL

Early humans lived in primitive shelters made from animal skins and wooden branches.

COMPLEX

While the technology may appear primitive by modern standards, it represented a significant leap in engineering for the civilization that produced it.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English primitif, from Old French primitif, from Latin prīmitīvus (“first or earliest of its kind”), from prīmus (“first”); see prime. Doublet of primitivo.

Usage

Typically placed before the noun it modifies. In biological contexts, it describes a character state that is ancestral rather than derived.

Idioms1 entry

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