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Pristine vs Primitive - What's the difference?

pristine | primitive |

As adjectives the difference between pristine and primitive

is that pristine is unspoiled; still with its original purity; uncorrupted or unsullied 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}}.

pristine

English

Etymology 1

From (etyl) pristin.

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Unspoiled; still with its original purity; uncorrupted or unsullied
  • Primitive, pertaining to the earliest state of something
  • Etymology 2

    From (etyl)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Relating to sawfishes of the family Pristidae.
  • * 2008, J.M. Whitty, N.M. Phillips, D.L. Morgan, J.A. Chaplin, D.C. Thorburn & S.C. Peverell, Habitat associations of Freshwater Sawfish (Pristis microdon)and Northern River Sharks (Glyphis sp. C): including genetic analysis of P. microdon across northern Australia [http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/publications/pubs/freshwater-sawfish-northern-river-shark.pdf]
  • This indicates that the present levels of genetic diversity in P. microdon are not unusually low, although the amount of diversity to be expected in pristine populations of coastal species of elasmobranch remains elusive because all populations investigated to date have suffered some degree of decline (e.g. Sandoval-Castillo et al. 2004, Keeney et al. 2005, Hoelzel et al. 2006, Stow et al. 2006, Lewallen et al. 2007).
    ----

    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.
  • 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