prim en · ADJ · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- [pʰɹ̠̊ɪm]
- (Southern-England) audio
- /pɹɪm/
Etymology
Of uncertain origin. In the verb sense, first appeared in Thomas D'Urfey's A Fool's Preferment in the year 1688. In the noun sense, first appeared in A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew in the year 1699, meaning "prig." Now obsolete. In the adjective sense, first appeared in Sir Richard Steele's The Funeral in the year 1702, meaning "consciously or affectedly strict or precise; stiffly formal and respectable." Oxford English Dictionary proposed a relation with primp and prink. Chiefly Scottish and U.S.
Meanings
-
Of a person, their manner or appearance: Formal and precise; stiffly decorous.
And although Paul shares an apartment with his prim wife, aptly named Prudence, they rarely see or speak to each other.
2024 October 24, Judith Shulevitz, “Michel Houellebecq Has Some Fresh Predictions. Be Afraid.”, in The Atlantic:Philemon was in great Surprize, And hardly could believe his Eyes, Amaz’d to ſee her look ſo prim; And ſhe admir’d as much at him.
1708, [Jonathan Swift], “The Metamorphosis of Baucis and Philemon, Burlesqu’d; from the 8th Book of Ovid”, in Baucis and Philemon; a Poem. […], London: […] H. Hills, […], published 1709, →OCLC, page 8:God damn it, what does she want of me, this sad, beautiful bridgeplayer of the Fifth Floor, with her air of lost love and her prim carnality?
1986, John le Carré, A Perfect Spy:
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(broadly, of a person) Prudish; straight-laced.
He took great joy in the knight's two daughters. The younger was the more beautiful, but so prim she hardly spoke to Goldmund.
1968, Ursule Molinaro, transl., Narcissus and Goldmund, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, translation of Narziß und Goldmund by Hermann Hesse, page 105:
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Of things: Neat; trim.
prim regularity
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| primmest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| primmer | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic |
Deriveds
primness · prim and proper · primly · prissy
Translations (20)
fr guindé (prudish) · es recatado (prudish) · bg превзет (prudish) · uk соромли́вий (prudish) · de ordentlich (prudish) · ru чо́порный (prudish) · pl pedantyczny (prudish) · es cartuchón (prudish) · fr collet monté (prudish) · sv prudentlig (prudish) · de prüde (prudish) · es santurrón (prudish) · es mojigato (prudish) · cs upjatý (prudish) · cs úhledný (precise, neat) · nl preuts (prudish) · cs upravený (precise, neat) · cs prudérní (prudish) · ca posturer (prudish) · cs škrobený (prudish)