Primitive

How to spell primitive

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce primitive

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does primitive mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to an early, simple, or undeveloped stage of development, technology, or society.

Primitive in a sentence

• The cabin had only primitive plumbing and no electricity.

• Archaeologists studied the primitive tools left by early farmers.

Where does primitive come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word descends from the Latin primitivus, meaning 'first of its kind' or 'earliest', which was built on primus, the Latin word for 'first'. From the same primus family English also gained 'prime', 'primary', and 'premier', all carrying that idea of being foremost or earliest. Latin primitivus passed into Old French as primitif before arriving in English in the late 1300s, at first describing the original or earliest form of something. Over the following centuries the sense broadened to mean simple, undeveloped, or belonging to an early stage of human society. The spelling trap lives in the unstressed middle and end: the schwa vowels make 'primitive' sound like it could take an 'a', but it keeps the 'i' throughout, echoing its primus root.

How the word is built

• prim- (from primus: first)
• -itive (adjective suffix indicating relation or quality)