1622: pristine and primate May 24, 2019

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The Latin 'primus' meaning 'first', has lead to many English words, such as 'prime', which mean 'first' but also 'best'. In the case of 'primate', this is still true, and has to do with the zoological order being considered of the first, highest order. However, this is where 'primitive' comes from because it also meant 'undeveloped'. Moreover, the word 'pristine', which today means  'spotless' or 'unspoilt' also meant 'primitive; undeveloped' or less judgmentally at least 'original' in the past. This was the case since the 16th century, and only changed to what it is now in the 1920s. As a side-note, at the time when 'primate' was coined for animals, bats were considered primates too.

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