Word of the Day: Primacy

Sunday, May 26, 2024

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noun

1. The fact of being primary, preeminent, or more important.

2. The office, period of office, or authority of a primate of certain churches.

3. (Psychology) The fact of an item having been presented earlier to the subject (especially as increasing its likelihood of being remembered).

"Mr. Decker was confident in his primacy as the leader of the party."

"Bishop Paulson's primacy lasted for more than 10 years."

"Due to the primacy effect, Nicola remembered the items from the top of the grocery list better than those listed further down."

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Late Middle English, mid-14th century

If "primacy" makes you think of the word "primate," you're on to something. Both words are derived from the Latin "primat-" and "primas," meaning "of the first rank." Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus gave the name to the order he believed to be the highest order of animals. ...