† primstaff Obs.
Also 9 primestaff; pl. 7– primstaves.
[Sw. primstaf, Norw. and Da. primstav, Icel. pr{iacu}mstafr (in text of c 1200), f. pr{iacu}m prime n.1 + staf-r stave, letter.]
The Icelandic and Scandinavian name of a clog almanack. (Partly in Eng. form in Evelyn and Plot, and in mod. Dicts., but never in Eng. use.)
| 1662 Evelyn Chalcogr. (1769) 38 Runic writings, or engraven letters, as in their rimstoc or primstaff. 1686 Plot Staffordsh. 419 By the Norwegians..[wooden Almanacks] are call'd Primstaves,..the principall..thing inscribed on them, being the Prime or golden number. Ibid. 420 The Primstaf of the Norwegians. |