Where does “primer” come from?

Primer derives from English prime, from Latin primarius meaning first or chief, itself formed from Latin prīmus with the agent suffix -ārius.

primer (English): A prayer or devotional book intended for laity,...

Definitions

  1. A prayer or devotional book intended for laity,...

Ancestry of “primer”, step by step

primer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Prime

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishPrimeFirst in importance, degree, or rank
2Frenchprimereward; prize; bonus; premium
3Old Frenchprim—
4Latinprīmus—
5Latinprīsmos—
6Proto-Italicpriisemosforemost, first
7Proto-Indo-Europeanper-before, in front; first; to go through
8Proto-Indo-Europeanpr̥tóspassed , crossed

via Middle English primer

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishprimer—
2Medieval LatinprimariusOne of the first, or first rank, chief,...
3Latinprimusfirst
4Latinprismos—
5Latinprisemos—

Words derived from “primer”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European pr̥tós →Every word from Proto-Indo-European per- →Every word from Proto-Italic priisemos →