primitive

prim·i·tive  (prm-tv)

adj.

1. Not derived from something else; primary or basic.

2.

a. Of or relating to an earliest or original stage or state; primeval.

b. Being little evolved from an early ancestral type.

3. Characterized by simplicity or crudity; unsophisticated: primitive weapons. See Synonyms at rude.

4. Anthropology Of or relating to a nonindustrial, often tribal culture, especially one that is characterized by a low level of economic complexity: primitive societies.

5. Linguistics

a. Serving as the basis for derived or inflected forms: Pick is the primitive word from which picket is derived.

b. Being a protolanguage: primitive Germanic.

6. Relating or belonging to forces of nature; elemental: primitive passions.

7.

a. Of or created by an artist without formal training; simple or naive in style.

b. Of or relating to the work of an artist from a nonindustrial, often tribal culture, especially a culture that is characterized by a low level of economic complexity.

8. Of or relating to late medieval or pre-Renaissance European painters or sculptors.

9. Biology Occurring in or characteristic of an early stage of development or evolution.

n.

1. Anthropology A person belonging to a nonindustrial, often tribal society, especially a society characterized by a low level of economic complexity.

2. An unsophisticated person.

3. One that is at a low or early stage of development.

4.

a. One belonging to an early stage in the development of an artistic trend, especially a painter of the pre-Renaissance period.

b. An artist having or affecting a simple, direct, unschooled style, as of painting.

c. A self-taught artist.

d. A work of art created by a primitive artist.

5. Linguistics

a. A word or word element from which another word is derived by morphological or historical processes or from which inflected forms are derived.

b. A basic and indivisible unit of linguistic analysis. Also called prime.

6. Mathematics An algebraic or geometric expression from which another expression is derived.

7. Computer Science A basic or fundamental unit of machine instruction or translation.

---

[Middle English, from Old French primitif, primitive, from Latin prmitvus, from prmitus, at first, from prmus, first; see per¹ in Indo-European roots.]

---

primi·tive·ly adv.

primi·tive·ness, primi·tivi·ty n.

---

primitive

Adjective

1. of or belonging to the beginning

2. Biol of an early stage in development: primitive amphibians

3. characteristic of an early simple state, esp. in being crude or basic: a primitive dwelling

Noun

1. a primitive person or thing

2. a painter of any era whose work appears childlike or untrained

3. a work by such an artist [Latin primitivus earliest of its kind]

---

primitive  (prm-tv)

1. Relating to an early or original stage.

2. Having evolved very little from an early type. Lampreys and sturgeon are primitive fishes.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	primitive - a person who belongs to an early stage of civilization primitive person individual, mortal, person, somebody, someone, soul - a human being; "there was too much for one person to do" Indo-European, Aryan - a member of the prehistoric people who spoke Proto-Indo European autochthon - the earliest known inhabitants of a region Basket Maker - early Amerindians related to the Pueblo; known for skill in making baskets cave dweller, cave man, caveman, troglodyte - someone who lives in a cave Heidelberg man, Homo heidelbergensis - a type of primitive man who lived in Europe ape-man, missing link - hypothetical organism formerly thought to be intermediate between apes and human beings Mound Builder - prehistoric Amerindians who built altar mounds Piltdown hoax, Piltdown man - a supposedly primitive man later proven to be a hoax barbarian, savage - a member of an uncivilized people feral man, wild man - a person who is not socialized
	2.	primitive - a mathematical expression from which another expression is derived formula, expression - a group of symbols that make a mathematical statement
	3.	primitive - a word serving as the basis for inflected or derived forms; "`pick' is the primitive from which `picket' is derived" word - a unit of language that native speakers can identify; "words are the blocks from which sentences are made"; "he hardly said ten words all morning"
Adj.	1.	primitive - belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness; "the crude weapons and rude agricultural implements of early man"; "primitive movies of the 1890s"; "primitive living conditions in the Appalachian mountains" crude, rude early - being or occurring at an early stage of development; "in an early stage"; "early forms of life"; "early man"; "an early computer"
	2.	primitive - little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type; "archaic forms of life"; "primitive mammals"; "the okapi is a short-necked primitive cousin of the giraffe" archaic early - being or occurring at an early stage of development; "in an early stage"; "early forms of life"; "early man"; "an early computer"
	3.	primitive - used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies; "primitive societies" anthropology - the social science that studies the origins and social relationships of human beings noncivilised, noncivilized - not having a high state of culture and social development
	4.	primitive - of or created by one without formal training; simple or naive in style; "primitive art such as that by Grandma Moses is often colorful and striking" naive beaux arts, fine arts - the study and creation of visual works of art untrained - not disciplined or conditioned or made adept by training; "an untrained voice"; "untrained troops"; "young minds untrained in the habit of concentration"

---

primitive

adjective 1. uncivilized, savage, barbarian, barbaric, undeveloped, uncultivated << OPPOSITE civilized

adjective 2. early, first, earliest, original, primary, elementary, pristine, primordial, primeval << OPPOSITE modern

adjective 3. simple, naive, childlike, untrained, undeveloped, unsophisticated, untutored << OPPOSITE sophisticated

adjective 4. crude, simple, rough, rude, rudimentary, unrefined << OPPOSITE elaborate

Translations

primitive [ˈprɪmɪtɪv] adj → primitivo (= crude); rudimentario (= uncivilized); inculto

---

primitive [ˈprɪmɪtɪv] adj → primitif/ive

---

primitive [ˈprɪmɪtɪv] adj [tribe, tool, conditions etc] → primitiv; [life form, machine etc] → frühzeitlich; [man] → der Urzeit

---

primitive [ˈprɪmɪtɪv] adj → primitivo/a

---

primitive

adj primitive [ˈprimətiv]

1 belonging to the earliest times primitive stone tools. primitief بِدائي първобитен primitivní primitiv; tidlig urzeitlich πρωτόγονος primitivo primitiivne باستانی primitiivinen primitif קַדמוֹן आदिम, आदि ősi primitif frumstæður primitivo 原始の 원시의 primityvus primitīvs; pirmatnējs primitif primitief primitiv prymitywny primitivo pri­mitiv первобытный primitívny prvobiten primitvni primitiv, ursprunglig ซึ่งเป็นยุคแรก ilkel 原始的 первісний ابتدائي زمانے کا nguyên thuỷ 原始的

2 simple or rough He made a primitive boat out of some pieces of wood. primitief, eenvoudig بَسيط، ساذِج прост jednoduchý, primitivní simpel; primitiv primitiv πρωτόγονος primitivo, rudimentario algeline ساده و زمخت alkeellinen primitif פְּרִימִיטִיבִי साधारण, अनगढ़ egyszerű, primitív sederhana frumstæður primitivo, rudimentale 素朴な 소박한, 유치한 primityvus, paprastas primitīvs, ļoti vienkāršs ringkas dan kasar primitief enkel, røff, primitiv prymitywny primitivo primitiv, rudimentar примитивный jednoduchý, primitívny preprost primitivan primitiv ที่ไม่ซับซ้อน basit 簡單的 простий, грубий سادہ thô sơ 简单的