prim

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prim / prim/ • adj. (prim·mer,prim·mest) stiffly formal and respectable; feeling or showing disapproval of anything regarded as improper: a very prim and proper lady. • v. (primmed , prim·ming ) [tr.] purse (the mouth or lips) into a prim expression: Larryprimmed up his mouth. DERIVATIVES: prim·ly adv. prim·ness n. ORIGIN: late 17th cent. (as a verb): probably ultimately from Old French prin, Provençal prim ‘excellent, delicate,’ from Latin primus ‘first.’