Premier

[William Hupy]

I was curious about the origin of this word, thinking it must have a Latin ancestry. English speakers, however, grabbed it from its French offspring. I did not look into any potential PIE root, but suspect it does.

[Perry Lassiter]

I would expect it to share derivation with "prime." Doesn't it point to first place?

[Slava]

Yep, it's from Latin alright. While looking it up I also learned that the primary colors were originally the seven in the spectrum, only later slimmed down to the three from which all others can be made.

[Perry Lassiter]

In high school and college I was often involved with theater lighting in which I discovered the primary colors in that medium are red, blue, and green, rather than the yellow in paint media. Always thought that odd.