prime cost

1572

Hr ET7T1 brief : [VN] They had been primed with good advice.       7?fiJ A#j7&0 o She was ready and

primed for action. B WTo O [VN to inf] He had primed his friends to give the journalists as little information as possible.          zH&WIHA, H-ir:

Ulo 2 [VN] to make sth ready for use or action       The bomb was primed, ready

to explode, ft 5$ E Jf & £F , nj 86      *J| If „      3 [VN] to

prepare wood, metal, etc. for painting by covering it with a special paint that helps the next layer of paint to stay on4(il,       EJU prime the

'pump to encourage the growth of a new or weak busi­ness or industry by putting money into it $£ VJ, yk

'prime cost (also 'first cost) noun [C, U] (business j§f) the cost of sth calculated by adding the cost of materials used to make it and the cost of paying sb to make it, but not including costs that are connected with running a business, such as rent and electricity T.JH&A ( Qfg l)

.prime minister IHt (also Prime Minister) noun (abbr. pm)

the main minister and leader of the government in some countries

.prime 'mover noun a person or thing that starts sth and has an important influence on its development

Imti

.prime 'number noun (mathematics $fc) a number that can be divided exactly only by itself and 1, for example 7,17 and 4i m (Rtm i       )

primer /'praima(r)/ noun “I [U, C] a type of paint that is put on wood, metal, etc. before it is painted to help the paint to stay on the surface [& M ; Jf& M $4 2 [C] /'praima(r); NAmE ‘primer/ (NAmE) a book that contains basic instructions ty] A ; A H A: The President doesn’t need a primer on national security.

£ ± Ji A fr A H A W o 3 [C] /'praima(r); NAmE 'primar/ (old-fashioned) a book for teaching children how to read, or containing basic facts about a school

subject iTAif A; Ih^A

'prime rate noun (in the US) the lowest rate of interest at which business customers can borrow money from banks ( MB&TrW )       — compare base

rate

'prime time (BrE also peak time, .peak viewing time) noun [U] the time when the greatest number of people are watching television or listening to the radio

( AH. IIW ) prime-time television Mfk

ItflsfWfMAS

pri meval (also primaeval) /prai'mirvl/ adj. [usually before noun] 1 from the earliest period of the history of the world, very ancient izn A W ; ® tia W : primeval forests 2 {formal) (of a feeling, or a desire

f&i&ll) very strong and not based on reason, as if from the earliest period of human life & T UK A '14 W: primeval urges At

primi tive /'primativ/ adj., noun

m adj. 1 [usually before noun] belonging to a very simple society with no industry, etc. ; lAA W: primi­tive tribes M f# 0 primitive beliefs 2 [usually before noun] belonging to an early stage in the development of humans or animals jtfr W; A ^ 2% $] primitive man jgigjA 3 very simple and old-fashioned, especially when sth is also not convenient and comfortable        ^ IetW

H771 crude : The methods of communication used during the war were primitive by today’s standards. ©A

OThe

facilities on the campsite were very primitive.

A # fll ffi 0 4 [usually before noun] (of a feeling or a

desire       very strong and not based on reason,

as if from the earliest period of human life fill: a primitive instinct jg A primitively adv. primi tive ness noun [U]

B noun 1 an artist of the period before the Renaissance; an example of work from this period    Wli A

M M ft m ) 2 an artist who paints in a very simple style like a child; an example of the work of such an artist mhUmM ( ^t^nn )

primitivism /'primitivizam/ noun [ti] a belief that simple forms and ideas are the most valuable, expressed as a philosophy or in art or literature (

primogeniture /,praimau'd5emtja(r); NAmE -moo-/ noun [U] 1 {formal) the fact of being the first child born in a family       Miff ;        2 (Jaw the system in

which the oldest son in a family receives all the prop­erty when his father dies j£T^ AjX prim or dial /prai'moidial; NAmE -'morrdial/ adj. [usually before noun] (formal) 1 existing at or from the beginning of the world IS £ W; IS tfc W Hn primeval 2 (of a feeling or a desire   very basic SAW ET371

primeval: primordial impulses AtlaWl'+^J primp /primp/ verb [V, VN] (often disapproving) to make yourself look attractive by arranging your hair, putting on make-up, etc. tTJfr;

prim-rose /'primrauz; NAmE -rouz/ noun 1 [C] a small wild plant that produces pale yellow flowers in spring If #& ( life#: ) 2 (also .primrose ’yellow) [b] a pale yellow colour  prim-rose (also .primrose

yellow) adj. fHflTl the primrose path (literary) an easy life that is full of pleasure but that causes you harm in the end   )

prim ula /'primjala/ noun a type of primrose that is often grown in gardens/yards jf      ( A

TES )

Pri-mus™ /'praimas/ (also 'Primus stove) noun a small cooker/stove that you can move around that bums oil. It is used especially by people who are camping. #

prince /prins/ noun

1                  a male member of a royal family who is not king,

especially the son or grandson of the king or queen T T;°3?#; AT: the royal princes AT 0 the Evince of Wales gScATAT 2 the male ruler of a small country or state that has a royal family; a male member of this family, especially the son or grandson of the ruler ( A BW ) ST, TH[I!1AJ$;M, TT, T?/Jv Prince Rainier of Monaco liflT ~ IE ^ 3 (in some European countries) a nobleman        ) % tk

4 ~ of/among sth (literary) a man who is thought to be one of the best in a particular field (

A#f, Is T, AT: the prince of comedy -UMA W .Prince 'Charming noun [sing.] (usually humorous) a man who seems to be a perfect boyfriend or husband because he is very attractive, kind, etc. AS;TT; ( A TW )      A tiraram From the hero of some Euro­

pean fairy tales, for example Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. U&        M <IMA>

.prince 'consort noun a title sometimes given to the husband of a queen who is himself a prince T A : Prince Albert, the Prince Consort TAAf0#AT prince-ling /'prinsliq/ noun (usually disapproving) a prince who rules a small or unimportant country ( /Jn BW ) ST, Bit, AAV

prince ly /'prinsli/ adj. [usually before noun] 1 (usually ironic) if you say that an amount of money is princely, you are usually saying the opposite and that it is not very large-SIR W ; M A W : I bought a bike for the princely sum of £20!     20

2                  (oJd-fashioned, formal) very grand; generous 1$. W;

flW; 'ft mt W : princely buildings A # W M &L 0 a princely gift —fjj-AIf-W       3 connected with a prince;

like a prince TTT^W; Ti^TTW

the .Prince of 'Darkness noun a name for the Devil HfliAT()

the .Prince of 'Peace noun a name for Jesus Christ

(mmmn)

prin cess o-w /.prm'ses; 'prinses/ noun 1 a female member of a royal family who is not a queen, especially the daughter or granddaughter of the kingorqueen ( Bfc&T^T^MKl )-T^i&rJlSc^; (A