Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

prīmordĭa, ōrum, v. primordius.

prīmordĭum, ii, v. primordius.

prīmordĭus, a, um, adj. [primus-ordior], original (post-Aug.): primordii seminis mistu, Col. 6, 37, 7 dub. (al. primordiis seminum).
Hence, as subst.: prīmor-dĭum, n., and more usually plur.: prī-mordĭa (gen. not in use; principiorum takes its place, Munro ad Lucr. 3, 262; separated and transposed, ordĭa prīma, Lucr. 4, 28), n.

  1. I. The first beginnings, origin, commencement (class.; syn.: principium, initium): primordia rerum, Cic. Part. 2, 7: a Jove Musarum primordia, id. poët. Leg. 2, 3, 7: mundi, Ov. M. 15, 67: gentis, Luc. 10, 177: veterum vocum, Pers. 6, 3: inquieta a primordiis vita, Sen. Brev. Vit. 6, 1: artis, Lact. 12, 10, 3: eloquentiae, Tac. Or. 12; Gell. 12, 1, 9; 17; Lact. 3, 29, 16; Just. 31, 5, 7: dicendi, Quint. 1, 9, 1: terrena, Col. 3, 10, 10: mundi, Sulp. Sev. Chron. 1, 4, 1: in primordiis, Pall. 4, 12.
    In sing.: a primordio urbis, Liv. init.; Col. 1, 1: in operum suorum primordio stare, in the first beginning, Curt. 9, 2, 11; Just. 2, 1: tam tenues primordio imperi fuere fines, Plin. 3, 5, 9, § 56.
  2. II. Absol., the beginning of a new reign, Tac. A. 1, 7.