primordial
adjective
Sir Winston Churchill
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The history of "primordial" began when the Latin words primus (meaning "first") and "ordiri" (meaning "to begin") came together to form "primordium," the Latin word for "origin." When it entered English in the 14th century, "primordial" was used in the general sense "primeval." Early on, there were hints that "primordial" would lend itself well to discussions of the earth's origins. Take, for instance, this passage from a 1398 translation of an encyclopedia called On the Properties of Things: "The virtu of God made primordial mater, in the whiche as it were in massy thinge the foure elementis were . . . nought distinguishd." Nowadays, primordial matter is often referred to in evolutionary theory as "primordial soup," a mixture of organic molecules from which life on earth originated.
Examples of primordial in a Sentence
Tom Metcalfe, Scientific American, 2 Dec. 2023
Four years after its wildfires, the pendant of primordial land churns onward.
—Chloe Sachdev, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Mar. 2024
Her films, although typically set in or near the present day, are suffused with an almost primordial air of fairy-tale enchantment.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024
Going through the primordial feeling of facing down a totally eclipsed sun while surrounded by momentarily distressed humans and animals can be an unnerving and unforgettable experience that stays with your forever.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
In the primordial tech ooze of video games, AI is set up to have a transformative impact on one part of the industry.
—Gieson Cacho, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
These cultural characteristics perpetuate themselves even when the primordial conditions no longer exist.
—Iese Business School, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
To confirm the galaxy’s primordial nature, the team will seek approval to aim a large optical telescope at it for tens of hours — ironically, in the hopes of seeing nothing at all.
—Mark Zastrow, Discover Magazine, 1 Mar. 2024
The site is simply a modern analog, or a natural snapshot of the past that ultimately offers scientists a chance to better understand what primordial Earth may have looked like outside of a lab.
—Ayurella Horn-Muller, CNN, 17 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'primordial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Primordial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primordial. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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primordial
adjective
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