primacy
(ˈpraɪməsɪ)
Also 6 -tie.
[a. OF. primacie (14th c. in Godef. Compl.), in mod.F. primatie (pron. -sie), ad. med.L. prīmātia (1174 in Hoveden) for earlier prīmātus (u-stem): see primate n.2]
1. a. The state or position of being ‘prime’ or first in order, rank, importance, or authority; the first or chief place; pre-eminence, precedence, superiority.
| 1382 Wyclif Col. i. 18 The firste bigetun of deede men, that he be holdinge primacie [gloss or the firste dignyte] in alle thingis. ― 3 John 9 This Diotropis, that loueth for to bere primacye [Vulg. primatum] in hem, receyueth not us. 1483 Caxton Gold. Leg. 249/2 The blessid laurence is he that after Saynt Stephen ought to holde the prymacye. 1583 Stubbes Anat. Abus. ii. (1882) 71, I grant the prince to haue the soueraigntie and primacie ouer the church of God, within his dominions. 1614 Raleigh Hist. World ii. (1634) 282 In after times Tyre contended with Zidon for Primacie. a 1677 Barrow Pope's Suprem. (1687) 30 There are several kinds of Primacy,..1. A Primacy of Worth or Personal Excellency. 2. A Primacy of Reputation and Esteem. 3. A Primacy of Order, or bare Dignity and Precedence. 4. A Primacy of Power or Jurisdiction. 1796 Burney Mem. Metastasio I. 341 All this theatrical primacy..is your work. 1817 Coleridge Biog. Lit. 160 The earlier appearance and established primacy of the Tuscan poets. 1885 Manch. Exam. 7 Apr. 4/4 The position of primacy which England sustains among the commercial communities of the world. |
b. Psychol. The predominance of certain impressions, esp. first impressions, over subsequent or derived ones, in the mind or memory; also attrib., as primacy effect, primacy principle.
| 1896 M. W. Calkins in Psychol. Rev. Monogr. Suppl. I. ii. 35 Ordinary self-observation has..enumerated frequency, recency, vividness.., and primacy (the earliest position in a definite series of events) as the factors of interest. 1913 C. E. Seashore Psychol. in Daily Life v. 151 Familiar illustrations of the secondary or quantitative laws are (1) the law of primacy: other things being equal, the first impression will be the most effective. 1926 R. M. Ogden Psychol. & Educ. xii. 199 Primacy is popularly expressed by the statement that ‘first impressions are lasting’. 1931 Psychol. Rev. XXXVIII. 217 The law of primacy has also been suggested on the basis of experimentation, and this has been contrasted with recency. 1953 C. I. Hovland et al. Communication & Persuasion iv. 117 Experimental psychology for a long time postulated a Law of Primacy and a Law of Recency. 1959 Lambert & Fillenbaum in Saporta & Bastian Psycholinguistics (1961) 457/1 The European cases in most instances fail to support either a primacy or a habit strength principle. 1971 Sci. Amer. Aug. 85/1 The increased probability of recall for the first few words in the list is called the primacy effect. |
2. Eccl. a. The first place or leadership in spiritual matters (sometimes identified with, but properly distinguished from, supremacy); the office, dignity, or authority of a primate; spec. the chief dignity in an ecclesiastical province: cf. primate n.1 2.
| [1174 in Roger of Hoveden's Chron. (Rolls) II. 59 Consecrato pallium..dedit, et..primatiam addidit.] c 1470 Harding Chron. cii. v, To depriue Lambert of Caunterbury, Of primacy. 1529 Supplic. to King (E.E.T.S.) 36 Bokes which write agaynste the Popes prymacie. 1534 More Let. to Cromwell in Strype Eccl. Mem. (1721) I. App. xlviii. 134 As touching..the primatie of the Pope, I nothing meddle in the matter. 1552 Abp. Hamilton Catech. (1884) 3 The office of ane Archbischop and general primacie of this kirk of Scotland. 1635 E. Pagitt Christianogr. i. iii. (1636) 174 They yeild a Primacie to the Pope, if he be Orthodox, but no Supremacie. 1641 ‘Smectymnuus’ Answ. (1653) Post. 87 The Archbishop..spends the rest of his dayes in a long contention..with York about Primacie. a 1715 Burnet Own Time (1766) II. 229 They declared themselves for abolishing the Papal authority and for reducing the Pope to the old Primacy again. 1746 Berkeley Let. to T. Prior 12 Sept., Wks. 1871 IV. 311 The Primacy or Archbishopric of Dublin, if offered, might have tempted me. 1833 Tracts for Times No. 15. 5 Rome has ever had what is called the primacy of the Christian Churches. 1867 Freeman Norm. Conq. I. v. 304 The primacy fell to the lot of Sigeric, Bishop of Ramsbury. 1907 Q. Rev. Oct. 366 Perhaps about the time [c 250 b.c.] began the hereditary primacy of Taoism in the Chang family. |
b. The ecclesiastical province or see of a primate.
| 1552 Abp. Hamilton Catech. (1884) 3 Within the boundis of al our hail primacie of Scotland. 1807 G. Chalmers Caledonia I. iii. viii. 428 The church of Dunkeld appears to have formed the primacy of Dunkeld. |