prim
/pɹɪm/adjective
prim is spelled P-R-I-M: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, prim means “Of a person, their manner or appearance: Formal and precise; stiffly decorous” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in prim?
| Letters | 4: P-R-I-M |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,063rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is prim?
Prim appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce prim?
- /pɹɪm/
- [pʰɹ̠̊ɪm]
Prim has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-prim.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of prim
- primmer comparative
- primmest superlative
- prims present, singular, he/she/it
- primming participle, present
- primmed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does prim mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of a person, their manner or appearance: Formal and precise; stiffly decorous.
- 2
Prudish; straight-laced.
- 3
Of things: Neat; trim.
prim regularity
verb
- 1
archaicTo make one's expression prim.
- 2
archaicTo give a prim or demure expression to (one's face, mouth, or (rare) lips).
- 3
archaicTo dress (one) up affectedly or demurely.
noun
- 1
archaicobsoleteA prim person.
- 2
archaicprivet
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Prim in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense prudish:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | collet monté, guindé |
| German | prüde, ordentlich |
| Spanish | mojigato, santurrón, cartuchón, recatado |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does prim come from?
Of uncertain origin. In the verb sense, first appeared in Thomas D'Urfey's A Fool's Preferment in the year 1688. In the noun sense, first appeared in A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew in the year 1699, meaning "prig." Now obsolete. In the adjective sense, first appeared in Sir Richard Steele's The Funeral in the year 1702, meaning "consciously or affectedly strict or precise; stiffly formal and respectable." Oxford English Dictionary proposed a relation with primp and prink. Chiefly Scottish and U.S.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).