Definition of PRIMITIVE

primitive

Meanings

Plural: primitives

Noun

  • a person who belongs to an early stage of civilization
  • a mathematical expression from which another expression is derived
  • a word serving as the basis for inflected or derived forms
    • "`pick' is the primitive from which `picket' is derived"
  • An original or primary word; a word not derived from another, as opposed to derivative.
  • A member of a primitive society.
  • A simple-minded person.
  • A data type that is built into the programming language, as opposed to more complex structures.
  • Any of the simplest elements (instructions, statements, etc.) available in a programming language.
  • A basic geometric shape from which more complex shapes can be constructed.
  • A function whose derivative is a given function; an antiderivative.

Adjective Satellite

  • belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness
    • "primitive movies of the 1890s"
    • "primitive living conditions in the Appalachian mountains"
  • little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type
    • "primitive mammals"
    • "the okapi is a short-necked primitive cousin of the giraffe"
  • used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies
    • "primitive societies"
  • of or created by one without formal training; simple or naive in style
    • "primitive art such as that by Grandma Moses is often colorful and striking"

Adj

  • Of or pertaining to the beginning or origin, or to early times; original; primordial; primeval; first.
  • Of or pertaining to or harking back to a former time; old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity.
  • Of or pertaining to or harking back to a former time; old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity.
  • Relating to an art style characterized by asymmetrical shapes and faded colors.
  • Crude, obsolete.
  • Original; primary; radical; not derived.
  • Occurring in or characteristic of an early stage of development or evolution.
  • Not derived from another of the same type
  • most recent common ancestor (often hypothetical) of

Origin / Etymology

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.

Synonyms

archaic, backwards, crude, imprimitive, naive, primitive person, primitive word, proto-, radical, radical word, rude

Antonyms

derivative, derived

Scrabble Score: 16

primitive is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
primitive is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
primitive is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 19

primitive is a valid Words With Friends word