Primordial vs. Primitive — What's the Difference?

Being or happening first in sequence of time; original.

Of or relating to an early or original stage or state; primeval

Primary or fundamental

Occurring in or characteristic of an early stage of development or evolution

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

Having developed early in the evolutionary history of a group

A basic principle.

Regarded as having changed little in evolutionary history. Not in scientific use

First, earliest or original

Characterized by simplicity or crudity; unsophisticated

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

Of or relating to a nonindustrial, often tribal culture, especially one that is characterized by an absence of literacy and a low level of economic or technological complexity

Primeval

Not derived from something else; primary or basic

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 the basis for derived or inflected forms

A first principle or element.

Being a protolanguage

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

Not resulting from conscious thought or deliberation; unconscious or instinctual

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.

Of or created by an artist without formal training; simple or naive in style.

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

Of or relating to late medieval or pre-Renaissance European painters or sculptors.

A first principle or element.

A person belonging to a nonindustrial, often tribal society, especially a society characterized by a low level of economic or technological complexity.

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

(Derogatory) An unsophisticated or unintelligent person.

One that is at a low or early stage of development.

One belonging to an early stage in the development of an artistic trend, especially a painter of the pre-Renaissance period.

An artist having or affecting a simple, direct, unschooled style, as of painting.

A work of art created by a primitive artist.

A word or word element from which another word is derived by morphological or historical processes or from which inflected forms are derived.

A basic and indivisible unit of linguistic analysis. Also called prime.

(Mathematics) An algebraic or geometric expression from which another expression is derived.

(Computers) A basic or fundamental unit of machine instruction or translation.

(linguistics) 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.

A data type that is built into the programming language, as opposed to more complex structures.

Any of the simplest elements (instructions, statements, etc.) available in a programming language.

A basic geometric shape from which more complex shapes can be constructed.

(mathematics) A function whose derivative is a given function; an antiderivative. Category:en:Functions

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.

Crude, obsolete.

(grammar) Original; primary; radical; not derived.

(biology) Occurring in or characteristic of an early stage of development or evolution.

(maths) Not derived from another of the same type

Most recent common ancestor (often hypothetical) of

Of or pertaining to the beginning or origin, or to early times; original; primordial; primeval; first; as, primitive innocence; the primitive church.

Of or pertaining to a former time; old-fashioned; characterized by simplicity; as, a primitive style of dress.

Original; primary; radical; not derived; as, primitive verb in grammar.

An original or primary word; a word not derived from another; - opposed to derivative.

A person who belongs to early stage of civilization

A mathematical expression from which another expression is derived

A word serving as the basis for inflected or derived forms;

Belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness;

Little evolved from or characteristic of an earlier ancestral type;

Used of preliterate or tribal or nonindustrial societies;

Of or created by one without formal training; simple or naive in style;