primal

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

adjective serving as an essential component
adjective having existed from the beginning; in an earliest or original stage or state

Probably partly from Medieval Latin prīmālis, from Latin prīmus (“first”) + -ālis, and partly from prime + -al.

"But you've got primal instincts." — Life Blood, Thomas Hoover
“O thou of primal love the prime delight! — The divine comedy, Dante Alighieri
They walk serene and primal, undimensioned and to us unseen. — The Dunwich horror, H. P. (Howard Phillips) Lovecraft

cardinal, central, fundamental, key

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