Primer

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpɹaɪ.mə(ɹ)/

Definitions

1. A basic introductory book or text that teaches fundamental principles ; a preparatory coat applied to surfaces before painting to enhance adhesion and durability ; a small ignition device used in firearms to ignite the gunpowder charge
2. A beginner-level manual designed to provide essential knowledge on a subject ; a coating applied to material to prepare it for subsequent paint layers ; a component in a gun that initiates the firing sequence by igniting the propellant
3. An instructive booklet intended to teach the basics of a topic ; an initial painted layer that helps paint stick and prevents damage ; a firearm mechanism that sparks to start the bullet firing process

Etymology: The word "primer" has a surprising route from church devotion to classroom. Medieval Latin "primarius" and "primarium" referred to a prayer book, and that sense came from "prima," the first of the canonical hours, the early-morning prayer service. Prayer books of this kind were widely used in the Middle Ages, and because they were often the only text a lay person could read, they served as teaching material for learning letters. Their role as the first book a child read gave us the schoolbook sense we use today. The word arrived in Middle English as "primer" and "primere," meaning a prayer book, and it may have passed through Anglo-Norman. Its later sense as a beginner's introductory book grew directly from that teaching role. The name stayed attached to the prayer book for centuries before the schoolroom meaning took over.

Synonyms: textbook, manual, guide, introduction, starter