pirminiai

Pirminiai is a Lithuanian adjective form meaning "primary, first, main." It is the masculine plural nominative form of the adjective pirminis and agrees with masculine plural nouns. The root is pirm- meaning "first," with the suffix -inis; related words include pirmas (first) and antriniai (secondary). The term is used across domains to designate something that comes first or is of principal importance, and it can function as a predicative attribute or as part of a compound noun phrase, for example pirminiai šaltiniai, pirminiai duomenys, pirminiai reikalavimai.

In usage, pirminiai commonly appears in contexts that distinguish initial or primary elements from subsequent or secondary ones. For example: pirminiai šaltiniai = primary sources; pirminiai duomenys = primary data; pirminiai reikalavimai = initial requirements. In education, research, law, and information science, it helps indicate priority or importance.

Mathematics and logic also employ the form in phrases such as pirminiai skaičiai meaning "prime numbers" in number theory. There, the word conveys the notion of primality rather than order.

Notes: Lithuanian has parallel forms for other genders and numbers (pirminis, pirminė, pirminiai, pirminės, etc.). The word should not be confused with related terms such as antriniai (secondary). Etymology traces to the root pirm- "first."