adj.最好的；首要的；典型的
n.壮年；全盛时期；青春
n.[数]质数
vt.事先指点；在（金属、木材等上）打底漆
vi.变得首要
He reached his prime and then, when he had the most to live for, he died. 他到了壮年时期,该做出最大贡献,活得最好的时候,却死掉了。
We were well prime for the journey with a large breakfast. 为了去旅行,我们早餐都吃得饱饱的。
What was said was of prime importance. 说过的那件事是很重要的。
Britain has a queen, but it is the prime minister and the cabinet who govern. 英国有女王,但执政的是首相和内阁。
The building is a prime example of 1960s architecture. 这座大楼是20世纪60年代的典型建筑。
用作名词 (n.)He died in the prime of his life. 他在壮年时死去。
Young people are in their prime. 年轻人风华正茂。
Many young soldiers were cut off in their prime. 许多士兵都英年早逝。
She had the strength and sangfroid of a woman in the prime of life. 她具有正值青春的少妇的力量和沉着。
It states that every even number greater than two can be expressed as the sum of two primes (a prime is a number that is only divisible by itself and by 1, such as 7 and 13). 其陈述是：每一个大于2的偶数都可以表达成两个素数之和(素数是指只能被1和它本身整除的数，如7和13)。
用作及物动词 (vt.)She has been well primed about what to say. 她已经有人指点,知道要说些什么。
You must prime the wood before you paint it. 油漆这木制东西前,你得先在上面涂上底漆。
用作不及物动词 (vi.)Peace is the prime objective of our foreign policy. 我们把争取和平作为对外政策的首要任务。
prime用作形容词的基本意思是“首要的,主要的”,表示时间顺序上的起点,常用于表示在地位、级别、尊贵程度上占首位的事物。prime也可表示质量“最好的,第一流的”。
prime本身含有“最”的意味,故一般不用very修饰,也没有比较级和最高级形式。
