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First things first. "Primeval" comes from the Latin words primus, meaning "first, and aevum, meaning "age." In Latin, those terms were brought together to form "primaevus," a word that means "of or relating to the earliest ages." Other English words that descend from "primus" include "prime" and "primary," "primordial" (a synonym of "primeval"), and "primitive." "Primus" also gave rise to some terms for folks who are number one in charge, including "prince" and "principal."
Examples of primeval in a Sentence
Percy Brown, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2025
About three hours from the capital city of Quito, Ecuador, the cloud forest feels primeval and otherworldly.
—Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 1 Feb. 2025
The work recalls a kind of primeval decadence, in the best sense of that word.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
These places maintain the largest amount of intact primeval forest and the highest populations of bears, wolves and lynx in all of Europe.
—Jamie Lang, Variety, 26 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for primeval
Cite this Entry
“Primeval.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/primeval. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
from Latin primaevus "relating to the very earliest ages," from primus "first" and aevum "age" — related to prime
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