called also prime coat
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Primers were once a standard part of every child's education. The first primer printed in North America, The New England Primer (ca. 1690), was typical; it contained many quotations from the Bible and many moral lessons, and the text was accompanied by numerous woodcut illustrations. We no longer use the word in early education, but it's widely used in everyday speech. Notice how primer is pronounced; don't mix it up with the kind of paint that's pronounced with a long *i *sound.
Synonyms
Examples of primer in a Sentence
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 21 Dec. 2023
Watching her hold court in scenery designer Christopher Oram’s rendering of the Garden Room at Clarence House, where Queen Elizabeth II’s mother lived out her days, should be a mandatory stop for anyone seeking a primer on delivering a piquant quip.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 6 Dec. 2023
This is a dense yet still approachable dive into the world of Japanese cooking, with primers on dashi, breaking down whole fish for sashimi, coaxing maximum flavor from tofu and eggs, steaming the perfect donabe, and hand-forming fresh udon.
—Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023
Save on the best primers for mature skin with these Sephora promo codes.
—Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 17 Nov. 2023
This luxurious primer is the perfect base for makeup, blurring imperfections and ensuring a smooth application.
—Poppy Morgan, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2023
Ellie Duram | Wichita, Kansas Students in the 19th century learned to read from the Bible, primers, Webster’s Blue Back Speller and McGuffey Readers, which taught morality along with phonics—the sounds made by individual letters and letter combinations.
—Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2023
The importance of makeup primer in ensuring your products' staying power cannot be overstated.
—Malia Griggs, Glamour, 24 Nov. 2023
Stix is the author with his wife, Miriam Lacob, of a technology primer called Who Gives a Gigabyte: A Survival Guide to the Technologically Perplexed (John Wiley & Sons, 1999).
—Gary Stix, Scientific American, 17 Nov. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'primer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Noun (1)
Middle English, "layperson's prayer book," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Medieval Latin prīmārius, prīmārium, noun derivatives from masculine and neuter of prīmārius "lying at the beginning, primary entry 1"
Noun (2)
Noun (1)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Noun (2)
1650, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Articles Related to primer
Dictionary Entries Near primer
Cite this Entry
“Primer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primer. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
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Kids Definition
primer
1 of 2 noun
primer
2 of 2 noun
Medical Definition
primer
noun
More from Merriam-Webster on primer
Nglish: Translation of primer for Spanish Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about primer
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