Word · Frequency #13028
primal
主要的；根本的；核心的
serving as an essential component; fundamental
- 1.
Being the first in time or in history.
在时间或历史上是第一个
- 2.
Of greatest importance; primary.
最重要的；首要的。
- 3.
Being one of the pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass during butchering, prior to division into smaller cuts.
在屠宰过程中最初从尸体上分离出来的肉块之一,尚未分割成较小的部分
最初的；原始的；远古的；在时间或历史上是第一个；最重要的；首要的。；在屠宰过程中最初从尸体上分离出来的肉块之一,尚未分割成较小的部分；主要的
In use
The primal need for food and shelter drives much of human behavior.
Many cultures have stories about a primal forest that existed before any humans.
Her primal instinct was to run, but she stayed to help.
primal + noun
He was driven by a primal instinct.
他受原始本能驱使。
the + primal + noun
这里primal表示'主要的'。
The primal cause of the conflict is economic inequality.
冲突的主要原因是经济不平等。
Common mistakes
The primal of human instincts is survival.
Connections
Collocations
- primal importance
- 首要重要性；头等重要
- Safety is of primal importance in any laboratory.在任何实验室里，安全都是头等重要的事。
- primal urge
- 本能的冲动；原始欲望
- His primal urge to survive kicked in when the boat capsized.船翻时，他求生的本能冲动被激发了出来。
- primal fear
- 原始的恐惧；本能的恐惧
- The film taps into our primal fear of the dark.这部电影触动了我们对黑暗的原始恐惧。
- primal scream
- （宣泄情绪的）原始尖叫
- The patient let out a primal scream during the therapy session.治疗过程中，病人发出一声原始尖叫。
- primal cuts
- （屠宰中）初始分割的大块肉
- The chef ordered the primal cuts and then carved them into steaks.厨师订购了初始分割的大块肉，然后把它们切成牛排。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
联想 primary（首要的）和 prime（最初的），把 primal 记成‘最初的就是首要的’——原始时刻最根本。
Context & Register
语域：formal 常见场景：formal writing、psychology、philosophy primal 多用于正式或书面语境，尤其是在心理学、哲学或文学讨论中表示“根本的”或“原始的”；日常口语中比较少见。它比 primary 更带“原初、根源”的色彩，语气相对更书面。
Pronunciation & Spelling
No listed word rhymes with 'primal' (/ˈpraɪməl/). 'Final' shares the /aɪ/ vowel but differs after the vowel (/faɪnəl/ vs /praɪməl/). The other words end in -al but have different vowel sounds: animal /æ/, decimal /e/, criminal /ɪ/, formal and normal /ɔː/. Do not rely on spelling -al to guess the vowel.
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 1，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.