Primal vs. Primordial — What's the Difference?

Being first in time; original; primeval.

Being or happening first in sequence of time; original.

Of first importance; primary.

Primary or fundamental

Being the first in time or in history.

(Biology) Belonging to or characteristic of the earliest stage of development of an organism or a part

Of greatest importance; primary.

A basic principle.

(meat trade) Being one of the pieces of meat initially separated from the carcass during butchering, prior to division into smaller cuts.

First, earliest or original

A primal cut (of meat).

(biology) characteristic of the earliest stage of the development of an organism, or relating to a primordium

(intransitive) To take part in primal therapy.

Primeval

First; primary; original; chief.

Of an element or isotope: occurring primordially (on Earth) (i.e. inherited from when the Earth was formed); because it is stable, or radioactive but so long-lived that some is left over from when the Earth was formed. For example, primordial radioisotopes (T = half-life) include uranium-235 (T = 7×108 years), potassium-40 (T = 1.25×109 years), uranium-238 (T = 4.5×109 years), and thorium-235 (T = 1.4×1010 years).

Serving as an essential component;

A first principle or element.

Having existed from the beginning; in an earliest or original stage or state;

First in order; primary; original; of earliest origin; as, primordial condition.

Of or pertaining to the lowest beds of the Silurian age, corresponding to the Acadian and Potsdam periods in American geology. It is called also Cambrian, and by many geologists is separated from the Silurian.

Originally or earliest formed in the growth of an individual or organ; as, a primordial leaf; a primordial cell.

A first principle or element.

Having existed from the beginning; in an earliest or original stage or state;