primus

Latin > English (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, id. 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, id. Verr. 2, 2, 20, § 48: simul ac primum niti possunt, etc., id. N. D. 2, 48, 124: tum affuerat, cum primum dati sunt judices, id. 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.