prime

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[Etymology: ‘first’] Usually as the symbol′ in any graphic form or, as the minute, any unit at the first layer of fractioning.

length Using the symbol, a common denotation for the foot, the first subdivision of yard; as prime, ¹/₁₀ Rathborn chain, = 19.8 in(502.92 mm).

geometry Using the symbol, a common denotation for the minute of plane angle, the first subdivision of degree.

Banking: prime rate.


Investments: acronym for Prescribed Right to Income and Maximum Equity. PRIME was a unit investment trust, sponsored by the Americus Shareowner Service Corporation, which separated the income portion of a stock from its appreciation potential. The incomeproducing portion, called PRIME, and the appreciation potential, called SCORE (an acronym for Special Claim on Residual Equity) together made up a unit share investment trust, known by the acronym USIT. Both PRIME and SCORE were traded on the American Stock Exchange.
The first version of this unit came into existence with American Telephone and Telegraph stock in late 1983, as AT&T was undergoing divestiture. PRIME units entitled their holders to the dividend income that a holder of one common share of the old AT&T would have gotten plus a proportionate share of the dividends of the seven regional operating companies split off from AT&T. PRIME holders also received all price appreciation in the stock up to the equivalent of $75 a share. The trusts expired in 1988. SCORE holders received all appreciation over $75, but no dividend income.
This form of unit trust allows investors who want income from a stock to maximize that income, and investors who want capital gains to have increased leverage in achieving those gains.
See also capital gain.

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Next:	Prime Paper, Prime Rate

adjective

1. Of fine quality: choice, fine¹, first-class, select, superior. See better/worse.
2. Exceptionally good of its kind: ace, banner, blue-ribbon, brag, capital, champion, excellent, fine¹, first-class, first-rate, quality, splendid, superb, superior, terrific, tiptop, top. Informal A-one, bully, dandy, great, swell, topflight, topnotch. Slang boss. Chiefly British tophole. See good/bad.
3. Most important, influential, or significant: capital, cardinal, chief, first, foremost, key, leading, main, major, number one, paramount, premier, primary, principal, top. See important/unimportant.
4. Preceding all others in time: earliest, first, initial, maiden, original, pioneer, primary, primordial. See start/end.
5. Not derived from something else: original, primary, primitive. See start/end.

noun

A condition or time of vigor and freshness: bloom¹, blossom, efflorescence, florescence, flower, flush. See better/worse.

verb

To cause to be ready, as for use, consumption, or a special purpose: fit¹, fix, make, prepare, ready. See prepared/unprepared.

Idioms beginning with prime:
prime mover
prime of life
prime the pump

See also past one's prime.

n

Definition: beginning; spring
Antonyms: conclusion, end

n

Definition: best part of existence
Antonyms: downfall

v

Definition: get ready; prepare
Antonyms: forget, neglect

A classification of borrowers, rates or holdings in the lending market that are considered to be of high quality. This classification is placed on those borrowers that are deemed to be the most credit-worthy and the prime rate is the rate that a lender will lend to its high quality borrowers.

Investopedia Says:
Lenders use a credit scoring system to determine which loans a borrower may qualify. A major variable in this credit scoring system is a borrower’s FICO score (which may range from 300 to 850). In general a borrower with a FICO score greater than 620 is considered to be eligible for a prime loan; however, other variables, such as past payment history, bankruptcy, foreclosure and the loan-to-value ratio are also considered.

Since a lender’s incentives are not always aligned with a borrower’s incentives, it is important for consumers to shop for the best loan at the best rate. 

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IN BRIEF: Most important. Also: In mathematics, a number that is divisible only by itself and one.

Knowledge is the prime need of the hour. — Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955)

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

1. the printer's character, ′, used (singly, doubly, etc.) as a mark to discriminate between characters or symbols representing things that are or would otherwise be indistinguishable. In chemical nomenclature it is used to distinguish between (1) identical locants referring to different moieties of the same molecule; or (2) two or more unspecified but differing univalent groups represented by the same symbol R. In physical chemistry it is used to differentiate the symbol for a quantity measured under arbitrary conditions from that for the corresponding quantity referred to the (thermodynamic) standard state; e.g. K′, apparent equilibrium constant, from K, thermodynamic equilibrium constant; E_o′, standard redox potential at a specified pH, from E_o, standard redox potential at a hydron activity of unity.
2. (in biochemistry) to provide a metabolic reaction with a primer; to bring about activation of a process or substrate.
3. (in immunology) to induce a primary immune response in an animal; to activate a cell specifically with respect to a given antigen.
4. (in mathematics)
   (a) having no other integral factor than itself and one.
   
   (b) prime number.
   

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Next:	prime number, primer, primer extension

First grade or best quality.

For a list of words related to prime, see:

• Punctuation and Diacritics - prime: ′ placed after letter or character to distinguish from another of the same kind, as A, A′, or to show primary stress
• Absolutes and Guarantees

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See words rhyming with "prime."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Prime.

Dansk (Danish)
1.
adj. - vigtigste, hoved-, førsteklasses
n. - begyndelse, den bedste alder

idioms:

• in one's prime    i sin bedste alder
• past one's prime    ude over sin bedste alder
• prime cost    fremstillingsomkostninger
• prime meridian    nulmeridian
• prime minister    premierminister
• prime mover    drivmotor, kraftkilde
• prime number    primtal
• prime rate    laveste udlånsrente
• prime time    den bedste sendetid

2.
v. tr. - præparere
v. intr. - lade et gevær, blive kortere (om mellemrum mellem tidevand)

idioms:

• prime a bomb    forsyne en bombe med tændladning
• prime a gun    forsyne et gevær med tændladning
• prime the pump    spæde pumpen

Nederlands (Dutch)
in de grondverf zetten, voorbereiden, een pomp werkend maken, eerst, uitstekend, best, hoogste kwaliteit, (betreffende een) priemgetal

Français (French)
1.
adj. - premier, principal, de choix, de premier ordre, primordial, excellent
n. - apogée, prime, nombre premier

idioms:

• in one's prime    à son apogée, à la fleur de l'âge
• past one's prime    (ne plus être) de première jeunesse
• prime cost    prix de revient
• prime meridian    méridien de Greenwich
• prime minister    premier ministre
• prime mover    force motrice
• prime number    (Math) nombre premier
• prime rate    taux d'escompte bancaire, taux d'intérêt préférentiel
• prime time    heure de grande écoute, excellent, de qualité supérieure, de première qualité

2.
v. tr. - amorcer, préparer, appliquer, apprêter, donner l'apprêt à
v. intr. - préparer (qn, qch) à faire, amorcer, favoriser/encourager l'accroissement/la croissance de

idioms:

• prime a bomb    amorcer une bombe
• prime a gun    amorcer un fusil
• prime the pump    amorcer la pompe, encourager la croissance de qch

Deutsch (German)
1.
adj. - erstklassig, Haupt-
n. - Höhepunkt, Primzahl

idioms:

• in one's prime    in den besten Jahren
• past one's prime    die besten Jahre überschritten habend
• prime cost    Selbstkosten
• prime meridian    Nullmeridian
• prime minister    Premierminister
• prime mover    Primärkraft
• prime number    Primzahl
• prime rate    Prime rate
• prime time    Hauptsendezeit

2.
v. - vorbereiten, grundieren, Anlaßkraftstoff einspritzen in, besoffen machen

idioms:

• prime a bomb    eine Bombe schärfen
• prime a gun    eine Waffe schärfen
• prime the pump    Pumpe füllen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - κατηχώ, δασκαλεύω, καταρτίζω, γεμίζω αντλία, προετοιμάζω, ετοιμάζω, γεμίζω (όπλο, κλπ), ασταρώνω
adj. - πρώτος, πρώτιστος, πρωταρχικός, κύριος, εκλεκτός, εξαίρετος, πρώτης ποιότητας, πρωτεύων
n. - ακμή, τελειότητα, αρχή

idioms:

• in one's prime    στο άνθος της ηλικίας του
• past one's prime    έχω περάσει την ηλικία της νεότητας, έχω τα χρονάκια μου
• prime a bomb    οπλίζω βόμβα
• prime a gun    γεμίζω όπλο
• prime cost    τιμή κόστους, τιμή κατασκευής
• prime meridian    ο μεσημβρινός του Γκρήνουιτς
• prime minister    πρωθυπουργός
• prime mover    (φιλοσ.) το πρώτον κινούν, (μτφ.) πρωτεργάτης, υποκινητής
• prime number    (μαθημ.) πρώτος αριθμός
• prime rate    προνομιακό επιτόκιο (για τους πλέον φερέγγυους πελάτες τράπεζας)
• prime the pump    ενθαρρύνω μια διαδικασία
• prime time    ώρα αιχμής, χρόνος υψηλής (τηλεοπτικής) ακροαματικότητας

Italiano (Italian)
innescare, imbeccare, caricare, imbottire, rimpinzare, primo, scelto

idioms:

• in one's prime    nel fior degli anni
• past one's prime    oltre il fior degli anni
• prime a bomb/gun    innescare una bomba
• prime cost    costo primo
• prime meridian    meridiano zero, Greenwich
• prime minister    primo ministro
• prime mover    causa prima, movente
• prime number    numero primo
• prime rate    prime rate
• prime the pump    innescare la pompa
• prime time    fascia oraria di massimo ascolto

Português (Portuguese)
v. - preparar, escorvar, imprimir, instruir, munir
adj. - primeiro, primo, superior
n. - número primo (m), início (m), auge (m)

idioms:

• in one's prime    na flor da idade
• past one's prime    passar seu apogeu
• prime a bomb/gun    plantar uma bomba/arma
• prime cost    custo de produção
• prime meridian    meridiano central
• prime minister    primeiro ministro
• prime mover    gerador de eletricidade
• prime number    número primo
• prime rate    taxa mais baixa por que o dinheiro pode ser comprado comercialmente
• prime the pump    escorvar a bomba
• prime time    horário nobre

Русский (Russian)
заливать, заправлять, натаскивать, главный, основной, первоначальный, первая ступень, простое число

idioms:

• in one's prime    в расцвете сил
• past one's prime    не первой молодости
• prime a bomb/gun    вставить капсюль/зарядить пистолет
• prime cost    себестоимость
• prime meridian    нулевой меридиан
• prime minister    премьер-министр
• prime mover    зачинщик
• prime number    простое число
• prime rate    банковская учетная ставка
• prime the pump    заливать насос
• prime time    лучшее экранное время

Español (Spanish)
1.
adj. - primero, principal, fundamental, excelente
n. - primero, principal, flor de la vida, principio

idioms:

• in one's prime    estar en la flor de la vida, en su apogeo
• past one's prime    haber pasado lo mejor de la vida
• prime cost    coste de producción
• prime meridian    primer meridiano
• prime minister    primer ministro
• prime mover    promotor, fuerza motriz, instigador
• prime number    número primo/simple
• prime rate    tasa (tipo) preferencial de interés
• prime time    horas de mayor audiencia

2.
v. tr. - preparar
v. intr. - imprimar, cebar, preparar

idioms:

• prime a bomb    cebar, preparar
• prime a gun    cebar, preparar
• prime the pump    cebar, invertir en un negocio inactivo

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - grunda, flöda, instruera, preparera, fylla, proppa full
adj. - främsta, förnämst, huvud-, förstklassig, primär, ursprunglig, primtal (mat.)
n. - bästa, prim (kat.), prim (fäktn.), primtal (mat.), prim (mus.)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
最初的, 基本的, 原始的, 原有的, 最初, 初期, 春天, 黎明, 青年, 灌注, 装填, 使起动, 为...装火药, 在...上涂底漆, 作准备

idioms:

• in one's prime    某人的全盛期, 正值盛年
• past one's prime    过了壮年
• prime a bomb    为炸弹装雷管
• prime a gun    为枪装火药
• prime cost    最初成本
• prime meridian    本初子午线
• prime minister    总理, 首相
• prime mover    原动力, 发动者
• prime number    质数, 素数
• prime rate    最低贷款利率, 优惠贷款利率
• prime the pump    施策发展
• prime time    黄金时段

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 最初的, 基本的, 原始的, 原有的
n. - 最初, 初期, 春天, 黎明, 青年
v. tr. - 灌注, 裝填, 使起動, 為...裝火藥, 在...上塗底漆
v. intr. - 作準備

idioms:

• in one's prime    某人的全盛期, 正值盛年
• past one's prime    過了壯年
• prime a bomb    為炸彈裝雷管
• prime a gun    為槍裝火藥
• prime cost    最初成本
• prime meridian    本初子午線
• prime minister    總理, 首相
• prime mover    原動力, 發動者
• prime number    質數, 素數
• prime rate    最低貸款利率, 優惠貸款利率
• prime the pump    施策發展
• prime time    黃金時段

한국어 (Korean)
1.
adj. - 첫째의, 수위의
n. - 전성기

idioms:

• in one's prime    가장 좋은

2.
v. tr. - 준비하다, 화약을 재다
v. intr. - 발화 준비하다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 全盛期, 初期, 素数
v. - 準備しておく, 呼び水をする, 火薬を詰める, 前もって教え込む, 下塗りする, 準備する, 入れ知恵する
adj. - 第一の, 主要な, 最上等の, 最良の

idioms:

• in one's prime    若盛りで
• prime a bomb/gun    火薬を詰める
• prime cost    素原価
• prime meridian    本初子午線, グリニッジ子午線
• prime minister    総理大臣, 首相
• prime mover    原動力, 原動機, 主動者
• prime number    素数
• prime rate    プライムレート
• prime the pump    成長を促進する処置をとる, 政府支出により景気の刺激を図る
• prime time    ゴールデンアワー

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يسقي, يلقن, يطلع على خفايا شيء ما (صفه) أولي (الاسم) الساعه الأولى من النهار‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮החשוב ביותר, יסודי, ראשי, עיקרי, מובחר, ראשוני‬
n. - ‮שיעור ריבית בסיסי (ללקוחות מועדפים), מיטב, (מספר) ראשוני, שלמות, פריחה, אביב, שחר, עידית, סוג א', הסימן '‬
v. tr. - ‮הפעיל, הכין (לשימוש), תיחל, סיפק מראש‬
v. intr. - ‮כיסה בצבע-יסוד, סיפק מידע או מזון (לאדם), הזריק דלק למנוע‬

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Some good "prime" pages on the web: