primordium
|pri-mor-di-um|
🇺🇸
/ˌpraɪˈmɔrdiəm/
🇬🇧
/ˌpraɪˈmɔːdɪəm/
first beginning; rudiment
Etymology
'primordium' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'primordium', where 'prim-' (from 'primus') meant 'first' and the root related to 'ordiri' meant 'to begin' or 'to rise'.
'primordium' was used in Medieval and Classical Latin with similar senses of 'first beginning' and entered English via scientific/medical Latin, preserving its form as 'primordium'.
Initially it meant 'first beginning' or 'first origin', and over time it came to be used especially for the 'initial rudimentary structure' of an organ or system; the core idea of 'first beginning' has been retained.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a structure or organ in its earliest recognizable stage of development, especially in an embryo; a rudimentary or initial tissue aggregating that will develop into a definite organ.
The limb primordium forms early in vertebrate embryonic development.
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Noun 2
a first or earliest stage from which something is developed; an originating or foundational element (used figuratively).
Those small community meetings were the primordium of the broader reform movement.
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Last updated: 2025/09/20 07:53