Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “prim” come from?

Prim comes from Old French prim, from Latin primus meaning "first," derived from the Proto-Indo-European root per- meaning "forward" or "through."

prim (English): prudish, straight-laced; formal; precise;...

Definitions

  1. prudish, straight-laced; formal; precise;...

Ancestry of “prim”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchprin—
2Latinprimusfirst
3Latinprismos—
4Latinprisemos—
5Proto-Italicpriisemosforemost, first
6Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
7Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

Words derived from “prim”

  • primly
  • primness
Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →