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Elementary vs Primitive - What's the difference?

elementary | primitive | Synonyms |

As adjectives the difference between elementary and primitive

is that elementary is relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something while primitive is of or pertaining to the beginning or origin, or to early times; original; primordial; primeval; first.

As a noun primitive is

an original or primary word; a word not derived from another, as opposed to {{term|derivative}}.

elementary

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something.
  • Relating to an elementary school.
  • (physics) Relating to a subatomic particle.
  • * {{quote-magazine, date=2012-03
    • , author=(Jeremy Bernstein) , title=A Palette of Particles , volume=100, issue=2, page=146 , magazine=(American Scientist) citation , passage=The physics of elementary particles in the 20th century was distinguished by the observation of particles whose existence had been predicted by theorists sometimes decades earlier.}}
  • (archaic) Sublunary; not celestial; belonging to the sublunary sphere, to which the four classical elements (earth, air, fire and water) were confined; composed of or pertaining to these four elements.

    • References

    *

    primitive

    English

    (wikipedia primitive)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An original or primary word; a word not derived from another, as opposed to (derivative).
  • A member of a primitive society.
  • A simple-minded person.
  • (computing, programming) A data type that is built into the programming language, as opposed to more complex structures.
  • A basic geometric shape from which more complex shapes can be constructed.
  • (mathematics) A function whose derivative is a given function; an antiderivative.

    • Related terms

    * multiprimitive * prime

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Of or pertaining to the beginning or origin, or to early times; original; primordial; primeval; first.
  • Of or pertaining to or harking back to a former time; old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity.
  • * {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers), title=(A Cuckoo in the Nest)
    • , chapter=4 citation , passage=By some paradoxical evolution rancour and intolerance have been established in the vanguard of primitive Christianity. Mrs. Spoker, in common with many of the stricter disciples of righteousness, was as inclement in demeanour as she was cadaverous in aspect.}}
  • (rfc-sense) Crude, obsolete.
  • (grammar) Original; primary; radical; not derived.
  • (biology) Occurring in or characteristic of an early stage of development or evolution.

    • Derived terms

    * primitiveness

    Synonyms

    * backwards