Definition of primitive Primitive

/pɹɪˈmʌtɪv/ - [primutiv] - prim•i•tive

We found 25 definitions of primitive from 6 different sources.

What does primitive mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: primitives
primitive - a person who belongs to an early stage of civilization
		primitive person
		mortal, somebody, someone, individual, person, soul a single organism
		aryan, indo-european a member of the prehistoric people who spoke Proto-Indo European
		autochthon the earliest known inhabitants of a region
		basket maker early Amerindians related to the Pueblo; known for skill in making baskets
		cave dweller, cave man, caveman, troglodyte someone who lives in a cave
		heidelberg man, homo heidelbergensis a type of primitive man who lived in Europe
		missing link, ape-man hypothetical organism formerly thought to be intermediate between apes and human beings
		mound builder prehistoric Amerindians who built altar mounds
		piltdown hoax, piltdown man a supposedly primitive man later proven to be a hoax
		barbarian, savage a member of an uncivilized people
primitive - a word serving as the basis for inflected or derived forms; "`pick' is the primitive from which `picket' is derived"
primitive - a mathematical expression from which another expression is derived
Adjective
primitive - used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies; "primitive societies"
		noncivilised, noncivilized not having a high state of culture and social development
		anthropology the social science that studies the origins and social relationships of human beings
primitive - 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"
		naive
		untrained not disciplined or conditioned or made adept by training; "an untrained voice"; "untrained troops"; "young minds untrained in the habit of concentration"
primitive - belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness; "the crude weapons and rude agricultural implements of early man"; "primitive movies of the 1890s"; "primitive living conditions in the Appalachian mountains"
		crude, rude
		early at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time; "early morning"; "an early warning"; "early diagnosis"; "an early death"; "took early retirement"; "an early spring"; "early varieties of peas and tomatoes mature before most standard varieties"
primitive - little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type; "archaic forms of life"; "primitive mammals"; "the okapi is a short-necked primitive cousin of the giraffe"
		archaic
		early at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time; "early morning"; "an early warning"; "early diagnosis"; "an early death"; "took early retirement"; "an early spring"; "early varieties of peas and tomatoes mature before most standard varieties"

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Wiktionary

primitive (Noun)
An original or primary word; a word not derived from another, as opposed to.
primitive (Noun)
A member of a primitive society.
primitive (Noun)
A simple-minded person.
primitive (Noun)
A data type that is built into the programming language , as opposed to more complex structures.
primitive (Noun)
A basic geometric shape from which more complex shapes can be constructed.
primitive (Noun)
A function whose derivative is a given function; an antiderivative.
primitive (Adjective)
Of or pertaining to the beginning or origin, or to early times; original; primordial; primeval; first.
primitive (Adjective)
Of or pertaining to a former time; old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity.
primitive (Adjective)
Crude, obsolete.
primitive (Adjective)
Original; primary; radical; not derived.
primitive (Adjective)
Occurring in or characteristic of an early stage of development or evolution.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

primitive (a.)
Of or pertaining to the beginning or origin, or to early times; original; primordial; primeval; first; as, primitive innocence; the primitive church.
primitive (a.)
Of or pertaining to a former time; old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity; as, a primitive style of dress.
primitive (a.)
Original; primary; radical; not derived; as, primitive verb in grammar.
primitive (n.)
An original or primary word; a word not derived from another; -- opposed to derivative.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

primitive
Occurring in or characteristic of an early stage of development or evolution.

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

primitive
prim′i-tiv, adj. belonging to the beginning, or to the first times: original: ancient: antiquated, old-fashioned: not derived: (biol.) rudimentary, primary or first of its kind: (geol.) of the earliest formation.—n. a primitive word, or one not derived from another: (math.) a form from which another is derived.—ns.pl. Prim′itive-col′ours, the colours from which all others are supposed to be derived—viz. red, yellow, and blue; Prim′itive-fa′thers, the Christian writers before the Council of Nice, 325 A.D.—adv. Prim′itively.—n.pl. Prim′itive-Meth′odists, a religious body founded in 1810, whose beliefs are the same as those of other Methodists, but whose working arrangements are nearly Presbyterian.—n. Prim′itiveness.—n.pl. Prim′itive-rocks (see Primary-rocks). [Fr.,—L. primitivus, an extension of primus.]