primární

Primární is a Czech adjective meaning first, primary, or main. It is used across disciplines to denote something that is foundational, original, or of the highest priority. The term comes from Latin primarius, meaning “first.”

In general use, primární describes the first element in a sequence, the most important aspect of a matter, or the original source of information or material. It is commonly paired with nouns to form standard terms such as primární zdroj (primary source), primární význam (primary significance), or primární funkce (primary function).

In science and energy, primární has specific technical meanings. Primární energie refers to energy contained in natural resources before transformation, such as fossil fuels, sunlight, or wind. Primární produkce denotes the creation of organic matter by photosynthetic organisms, forming the base of a food web. In medicine, primární can describe the origin of a condition or lesion, for example primární nádor (primary tumor), as opposed to secondary or metastatic sites.

In information technology, primární klíč (primary key) is a database term for a field or combination of fields that uniquely identifies each record in a table. It is essential for data integrity and relational operations.

In economics and education, primární can refer to the primární sektor of the economy, which includes activities like agriculture, forestry, and mining, and to primární vzdělávání (primary education), covering the initial years of formal schooling.

In color theory, primární barvy (primary colors) are the foundational colors from which others are derived; the specific colors depend on the model (additive RGB or subtractive CMY).

See also sekundární, deriváty, and related terms used in context-specific discussions.