[ noun ] the state of being first in importance <noun.state>
Primacy \Pri"ma*cy\, n. [LL. primatia, fr. L. primas, -atis, one of the first or principal, chief, fr. primus first: cf. F. primatie. See {Prime}, a.] 1. The state or condition of being prime or first, as in time, place, rank, etc., hence, excellency; supremacy. [R.] --De Quincey.
2. The office, rank, or character of a primate; the chief ecclesiastical station or dignity in a national church; the office or dignity of an archbishop; as, the primacy of England.
He took a middle path on the current campaign against "bourgeois liberalization," which he defined as denying the Communist Party's primacy and advocating capitalism over socialism.
Developments in Eastern Europe as well as our own experience here would suggest that we re-think our inclination to deal with problems through programs based on "the primacy of politically directed social planning."
At the same time, education has political primacy in the states with early campaign tests.
This gives members regular input into educational issues. Cavalle emphasises the primacy of corporate connections in IESE's overall strategy.
As a result of these changes, the heaviest enforcement load is likely to fall back on the SEC, which competed fiercely during the Giuliani years for primacy in the battle against Wall Street fraud.
The nation's second-largest Protestant denomination on Tuesday also adopted a new, conservative summary of doctrine that underscores the primacy of Scripture.
Leaders of the People's Front, formed in April, said they recognize the primacy of the Communist Party in Soviet society and do not seek to break out of the Soviet Union.
The first is "the primacy of economic growth as a societal goal," Mr. Daniels says.
'The primacy of Names' interests is absolutely vital,' said the broker.
"We recognize that this is a Christian country and we have the utmost respect for the primacy for the church," Cohen told The Associated Press.
But the frail, 88-year-old ayatollah seized on the unlikely issue of Rushdie's novel, "The Satanic Verses," to reassert his primacy over the secular and liberal forces gathering momentum in Iran.
Mr. Reagan understood the primacy of conviction in politics, and his success in making conservative convictions legitimate has opened an opportunity big enough for the likes of Mr. Gingrich to drive his own political artillery through.
As Europe struggles to rebuild the project for monetary union, economic reality has established primacy over political vision.
With Big Board prestige and credibility at their lowest ebb since the 1929 crash, Congress mandated more competitive stock markets, a direct threat to the Big Board's primacy.