prīmus — Lewis & Short
prīmus, a, um,
I adj. sup. [obsol. prep. pri (prei); whence also prior, priscus; cf.: privus, privo, etc., and v. pro], the first, first (properly only when three or more are referred to. The first, as opp. to the second, is prior;
but primus is rarely used for prior,Cic. Sest. 19, 44 al.).
I In gen.:
qui primus vulnus dicitur obligavisse,Cic. N. D. 3, 22, 57:
primus sentio mala nostra: primus rescisco omnia: Primus porro obnuntio,Ter. Ad. 4, 2, 7:
verum primum: verum igitur et extremum,Cic. Off. 3, 6, 27:
primae litterae,id. Att. 9, 6, 5:
primus inter homines nobilissimos,id. Sest. 3, 6:
primi ex omnibus philosophis,id. Fin. 4, 7, 17:
primus Graeciae in Thraciam introiit,Nep. Alcib. 7, 4:
primus de mille fuisses,Ov. H. 17, 105:
in primis,among the first, in the foremost ranks, Nep. Paus. 5, 3:
in primis stetit,id. Epam. 10, 3:
in primis pugnantes,Sall. C. 60, 6: leonem primus, aut in primis ferire, id. J. 6, 1: utque pedum primis infans vestigia plantis institerat (= ut primum, etc., poet.), Verg. A. 11, 573:
primus post eos quos poëtae tradiderunt movisse aliqua circa rhetoricen Empedocles dicitur (= secundus or proximus ab iis),Quint. 3, 1, 8.—
II In partic.
A In time or place, first, fore, foremost, the first part; sometimes to be translated, the end, extremity, etc.:
in primā provinciā,at the entrance of the province, Cic. Fam. 3, 6, 2:
digitus,the tip of the finger, Cat. 2, 3:
dentes,the front teeth, Plin. 19, 2, 11, § 35:
ranis prima lingua cohaeret,the end of the tongue, id. 11, 37, 65, § 172:
primā statim nocte,at the beginning of the night, Col. 10, 190:
sol,i. e. the rising sun, Verg. A. 6, 255:
luna,i. e. the new moon, Plin. 2, 13, 10, § 56.—With quisque, the first possible, the very first:
primo quoque tempore,at the very first opportunity, Cic. Fam. 13, 57, 1:
primo quoque die,id. Phil. 8, 11, 33:
me tibi primum quidque concedente,id. Ac. 2, 16, 49:
fluit voluptas et prima quaeque avolat,id. Fin. 2, 32, 106.—Subst.: prīma, ōrum, n., the first part, the beginning:
quod bellum, si prima satis prospera fuissent,Liv. 8, 3.—Of the first principles or elements of things, Lucr. 4, 186:
prima consiliorum (for prima consilia),Tac. H. 2, 11: a primo, from the beginning, at first:
multum improbiores sunt quam a primo credidi,Plaut. Most. 3, 2, 139; Ter. Phorm. 4, 2, 14; 4, 3, 37:
in illā pro Ctesiphonte oratione submissius a primo: deinde pressius,Cic. Or. 8, 26:
suam vim retinere a primo ad extremum,id. Fin. 4, 13, 32:
hoc a primo cogitavit,id. Att. 8, 11, 2; id. Phil. 2, 30, 75 Halm ad loc.:
id a primo rectissime dicitur,id. Fin. 3, 9, 32 Madv. ad loc.: in primo, in front, before, in the beginning, first:
equites in primo late ire jubet,in the van, Sall. J. 68, 4:
qui numerus in primo viget, jacet in extremo,Cic. Or. 64, 215. —
B First in rank or station, chief, principal, most excellent, eminent, distinguished, noble (cf.:
princeps, primores): evocat ad se Massiliensium quindecim primos,Caes. B. C. 1, 35:
sui municipii facile primus,Cic. Rosc. Am. 6, 15:
homo,Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 17, § 37:
primis urbis placuisse,Hor. Ep. 1, 20, 23:
juvenum primi,Verg. A. 9, 785:
est genus hominum, qui esse primos se omnium rerum volunt Nec sunt,Ter. Eun. 2, 2, 17:
quia sum apud te primus,I am the first in your favor, id. ib. 1, 2, 10:
primus humani generis,Sil. 17, 255:
urbem Italiae primam,Petr. 116:
praedium,Cato, R. R. 1:
suavia prima habere,to give the first place to, think the most of, Ter. Heaut. 5, 2, 9:
otium atque divitiae, quae prima mortales putant,Sall. C. 36, 4:
cura,a chief part, Plin. 5, 25, 21, § 88.—Also, most conspicuous, chief, in a bad sense:
peccatores, quorum primus ego sum,Vulg. 1 Tim. 1, 15:
primas partes, or primas agere,to play the first part, to occupy the first rank, Ter. Phorm. prol. 27:
primas in causis agebat Hortensius,Cic. Brut. 90, 308; 47: primas dare, to give the first place, ascribe the greatest importance to a thing:
actioni primas dedisse Demosthenes dicitur, cum rogaretur, quid in dicendo esset primum: huic secundas, huic tertias,Cic. de Or. 3, 56, 213: primas deferre, to transfer the first or principal part:
amoris erga me tibi primas defero,i. e. I assign to you the first rank among those who love me, id. Att. 1, 17, 5: primas concedere, to yield the first place:
si Allienus tibi primas in dicendo partes concesserit,id. Div. in Caecil. 15, 49:
primas tenere,to play the first part, be the best, id. Brut. 95, 327: cum primis, and in primis (also written in one word, impri-mis), with or among the first, chiefly, especially, principally, particularly:
homo domi suae cum primis locuples,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 28, § 69:
in primis lautus eques,Nep. Att. 13, 1:
oppidum in primis Siciliae clarum,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 35, § 86:
homo in primis improbissimus,id. ib. 2, 3, 27, §
68: vir magnus in primis,id. N. D. 1, 43, 120:
in primis hoc a se animadversum esse dicebat,id. de Or. 3, 5, 17:
in primis nobis sermo de te fuit,id. Att. 5, 1, 3:
in primis ... dein,first, in the first place, Sall. J. 26, 3. —Hence, adv., primo and primum; also, ante- and post-class. and very rare, prime and primiter (the form primo is usually limited to that which is strictly first in time; primum in enumerations of contemporary facts, things, or arguments, where the order is at the speaker's choice; cf. Krebs, Antibarb. p. 920 sq.).
A prīmō, at first, at the beginning, first, firstly.
1 In gen.:
aedes primo ruere rebamur,Plaut. Am. 5, 1, 42:
neque credebam primo mihimet Sosiae,id. ib. 2, 1, 50; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 9, § 26:
primo non accredidit,Nep. Dat. 3, 4:
Themistocles solus primo profectus est,id. Them. 6, 5:
contemptus est primo a tyrannis,id. Thras. 2, 2; id. Ham. 2, 2.—
2 With dein, deinde, inde, post, postea, mox, denique, nunc:
primo Stoicorum more agamus, deinde nostro instituto vagabimur,Cic. Tusc. 3, 6, 13:
primo pecuniae, dein imperii cupido crevit,Sall. C. 10, 3:
primo ... deinde ... tum ... tum,Cic. Fin. 1, 16, 50:
primo ... deinde,Liv. 1, 27; Curt. 3, 12, 6; 4, 16, 21; 9, 10, 11:
primo abstinentiā utendum: deinde danda, etc.,Cels. 5, 26, 34:
primo ... inde, ... hinc,Liv. 30, 11, 6:
haec primo paulatim crescere: post, etc.,Sall. C. 10, 6:
dissuadente primo Vercingetorige, post concedente,Caes. B. G. 7, 15:
primo ... postea ... postremo, etc.,Liv. 26, 39:
primo ... mox,id. 1, 50:
primo ... mox deinde,Just. 1, 3:
primo negitare, denique saepius fatigatus, etc.,Sall. J. 111, 2:
neque illi credebam primo, nunc vero palam est,Ter. Hec. 4, 4, 91.—
3 (Mostly post-Aug. for primum.) With iterum, rursus, secundo:
primo ... iterum,Liv. 2, 51:
primo ... rursus,Suet. Aug. 17:
primo ... secundo,Phaedr. 4, 10, 16.—
B prīmum, at first, first, in the first place, in the beginning (class.).
1 In enumerations, with a foll. deinde, tum:
Caesar primum suo, deinde omnium e conspectu remotis equis,Caes. B. G. 1, 25:
primum ... deinde ... deinde,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 58, § 143:
primum ... deinde ... tum ... postremo,id. N. D. 2, 1, 3:
primum ... deinde ... praeterea ... postremo,id. Div. 2, 56, 116:
primum ... tum ... deinde ... post ... tum ... deinde ....,id. Fin. 5, 23, 65; id. Font. 14, 31; cf.:
primum ... secundo loco ... deinde ... tum,id. Leg. 1, 13, 35; id. Inv. 2, 27, 79; Curt. 3, 6, 16; 8, 10, 9; Liv. 1, 28; Nep. Them. 2, 3; id. Epam. 1, 3:
primum ... subinde,Hor. Ep. 1, 8, 15:
primum ... mox,id. ib. 2, 2, 93.—
2 Without other adverbs.
(a) In gen.:
quaerenda pecunia primum est,Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 53:
te Quicumque primum Produxit,id. C. 2, 13, 2; id. S. 2, 3, 41.—
(b) Strengthened with omnium, first of all, Plaut. Truc. 4, 3, 13:
primum omnium ego ipse vigilo,Cic. Cat. 2, 9, 19.—
3 With ut, ubi, simulac, cum.
(a) Ut primum, ubi primum, simul ac primum, cum primum, as soon as ever, as soon as:
ut primum potestas data est augendae dignitatis tuae, etc.,Cic. Fam. 10, 13, 1:
ubi primum potuit, istum reliquit,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 20, § 48:
simul ac primum niti possunt, etc.,id. N. D. 2, 48, 124:
tum affuerat, cum primum dati sunt judices,Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 23, § 57.—
(b) Nunc primum, now first, now for the first time (cf.: nunc demum, now at last):
post illa nunc primum audio, Quid illo sit factum,Ter. And. 5, 4, 33.—
(g) With dum (also by Plaut. joined in one word, pri-mumdum), in the first place, first (anteclass.):
primum dum, si falso insimulas, etc. Iterum si id verum est, etc.,Plaut. Mil. 2, 3, 26:
omnium primumdum haed aedes jam face occlusae sicut,id. Most. 2, 1, 53; 1, 2, 39; id. Capt. 1, 2, 57:
primum dum omnium male dictitatur tibi vulgo in sermonibus,id. Trin. 1, 2, 61.—
(d) With adv. or other expression of time, for the first time:
hodie primum ire in ganeum,Plaut. As. 5, 2, 37:
quo die primum convocati su mus,Cic. Phil. 5, 11, 30.—*
C prīmē, es pecially: fabula prime proba, Naev. ap. Charis. p. 188 P.; cf. Prisc. p. 603 P.—
D prīmĭter, at first, first of all (ante- and post-class.): eripis primiter dapes, Pompon. ap. Non. 154, 26; Inscr. (of the beginning of the third century of Christ) Lab. Epigr. Lat. Scop. in Egitto.