premier

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(prĭ-mîr', -myîr', prē'mîr) pronunciation
adj.
  1. First in status or importance; principal or chief: an architect of premier rank.
  2. First to occur or exist; earliest.
n. (prĭ-mîr')
  1. A prime minister.
  2. A chief administrative officer, as of a Canadian province.

[Middle English primier, from Old French, from Latin prīmārius, from prīmus, first.]

premiership pre·mier'ship' n.


1. In British English the normal pronunciation is prem-i-ǝ, with the first syllable short. In American English the dominant pronunciation is prǝ-mee, with the stress on the i.

2. The main meaning of the noun is 'a prime minister or other head of government'; in Canada it denotes the chief executive officer of a provincial government (with a capital initial letter when used as a title).

3. As an adjective premier is enjoying a period of great popularity on both sides of the Atlantic in the meaning 'first in order of importance, order, or time':
Hypersonic flight has become the premier area for aerospace research in the United States—Mechanical Engineering, 1991.
In football, Premier Leagues have been formed in England and Scotland.

Previous:premature, prejudice, prefix
Next:premise, premiss, première, prepared to

adj

Definition: leading; original
Antonyms: inferior, minor

The head of government in many nations. A premier's position is usually the same as that of a prime minister. The chiefs of government of the provinces of Canada are called premiers.

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premier

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A chief official. Also: First in importance or position.

pronunciation For chocolate lovers, the premier reason for liking chocolate so much is its delicious taste.

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Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.

Examples by country

In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister". In the People's Republic of China, "premier" is more common, but "prime minister" is still used (see Premier of the People's Republic of China).

In four of the British overseas territories (Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the British Virgin Islands), the elected heads of government are styled as "Premier". In other overseas territories the equivalent post is styled as Chief Minister.

"Premier" is also the title of the heads of government in sub-national entities, such as the provinces and territories of Canada, states of the Commonwealth of Australia, provinces of South Africa, the island of Nevis within the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the nation of Niue. In some of these cases, the formal title remains "Prime Minister" but "Premier" is used to avoid confusion with the national leader. In these cases, care should be taken not to confuse the title of "premier" with "prime minister". In these countries, terms such as "Federal Premier", "National Premier", or "Premier of the Dominion" were sometimes used to refer to prime ministers, although these are now obsolete. In Canadian French, the equivalent of the English word "premier" is "premier ministre", which is also the word used for "prime minister".

In the Czech Republic, "Premiér" means the "Prime Minister" and the Czech language translates both "Premier" and "Prime Minister" as "Premiér".

In Croatia, the head of government is officially called "President of the Government" (predsjednik vlade) but "Premier" (premijer) is commonly used.

A premier will normally be a head of government, but is not usually the head of state. In presidential systems, the two roles are often combined into one, whereas in parliamentary systems of government the two are usually kept separate. An example of a nation having separate roles for the premier/prime minister and the president is the Fifth French Republic.

In the Soviet Union, the title of premier was applied to the Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars (Renamed Council of Ministers of the USSR in 1946), who acted as the Soviet Union's Premier. In Italy, as well, the prime minister maintains the office President of the Council of Ministers of the Republic.

A second in command to a premier is designated as a vice-premier or deputy premier.

By jurisdiction

See also


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Dansk (Danish)
adj. - fornemst
n. - premierminister

Nederlands (Dutch)
premier, eerste minister, uitstekend, allerbeste, voornaamste, in hoogste positie

Français (French)
adj. - premier
n. - premier ministre

Deutsch (German)
n. - Premierminister
adj. - erster

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - πρωθυπουργός
adj. - πρώτος, κύριος, πρώτιστος, κυριότερος

Italiano (Italian)
primo ministro, il primo, il piú importante

Português (Portuguese)
n. - primeiro (m) ministro
adj. - preparatório

Русский (Russian)
премьер-министр

Español (Spanish)
adj. - primero, principal
n. - primer ministro

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - premiär-, statsminister
adj. - första, främsta, förnämst

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
第一的, 最初的, 首位的, 首相, 总理

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 第一的, 最初的, 首位的
n. - 首相, 總理

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 첫째의, 수위의
n. - (영국, 프랑스 등의) 수상

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 首相
adj. - 第一位の

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) رئيس الوزراء (صفه) أول, رئيسي, بارز‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮עליון (בחשיבותו), ראשון‬
n. - ‮ראש ממשלה‬


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Primmer (family name)
Malenkov, Georgi Maximilianovich (Soviet politician)
Kálmán Széll (Hungarian statesman)