Primary means first or most important. Your primary concern when riding a bike might be staying balanced, while secondary concerns include speed or looking cool. A doctor's primary goal is helping patients get well, even though they also need to keep good records and manage their schedule.

In American elections, a primary is a special election where members of a political party choose which candidate will represent them in the main election. Before the general election in November, Democrats and Republicans hold primaries to select their nominees.

Primary also describes original sources or direct evidence. A primary source in history class means firsthand accounts: letters, diaries, photographs, or official documents created during the time period you're studying. Reading Anne Frank's actual diary is examining a primary source about World War II, while reading a history textbook about that period uses secondary sources written by historians years later.

You'll also hear primary in primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. These colors are called primary because you can mix them to create other colors, but you can't create them by mixing anything else. In school, primary grades or primary school refers to the earliest years of education, typically kindergarten through second or third grade.