# priming

Pronunciation: US say "PRY-ming" /ˈpɹaɪmɪŋ/; UK

## Verb

1. Present participle and gerund of prime. — present participle and gerund of prime
   - Simple: Present participle of prime. Use this form for the ongoing action of getting something ready.
   - _The crew spent the morning priming the steel beams against rust._
   - _Priming the canvas with gesso gives the paint something to grip._

## Noun

2. A substance applied as a base coat to seal a surface and help later coats of paint or finish adhere.
   - Simple: A base liquid spread on a surface before the main paint, to help it stick.
   - _A thin layer of priming sealed the porous plaster before the topcoat went on._
   - _Painters chose an oil-based priming to block stains on the old ceiling._
3. An implicit memory effect in which exposure to one stimulus shapes how a person responds to a later, related stimulus.
   - Simple: A memory effect where seeing or hearing something makes you react faster to a related thing soon after.
   - _Researchers used priming to show that an earlier image speeds recognition of a related one._
   - _Subtle priming from a list of polite words made participants behave more courteously afterward._
4. The powder or other flammable material used to carry fire to the main gunpowder charge in a firearm.
   - Simple: The small bit of powder that catches fire and sets off the main gunpowder in an old gun.
   - _He tapped fresh priming into the flintlock's pan before the next shot._
   - _Damp weather spoiled the priming, and the musket misfired._
5. The process of flushing IV tubing with fluid to clear out air before it is connected to a patient.
   - Simple: The step of running fluid through IV tubing to push out air before it goes into a patient.
   - _Proper priming of the line removes air bubbles that could harm the patient._
   - _The technician double-checked the priming before the infusion began._
6. The first time the precursors of antigen-specific helper T cells encounter the particular antigen they are able to recognize.
   - Simple: The first meeting between certain immune cells and a foreign substance, which prepares them to respond.
   - _Effective priming of helper T cells depends on antigen-presenting cells in the lymph nodes._
   - _Researchers tracked priming to see how quickly the cells responded to the antigen._
7. A cognitive process in which media content temporarily makes certain pieces of knowledge easier to recall.
   - Simple: A process where news or media briefly makes certain ideas easier to bring to mind.
   - _Media priming led voters to judge the candidate mainly on the economy._
   - _Repeated coverage produced priming that pushed the issue to the top of public concern._
8. A form of positive priming that makes a person more likely to reuse, or to more quickly process, a sentence with the same structure as one heard before.
   - Simple: A tendency to reuse or more easily understand a sentence built like one you just heard.
   - _Structural priming caused speakers to echo the grammatical pattern of the question they were asked._
   - _Experimenters measured priming by counting how often participants repeated the prompted construction._
9. The effect that an added nutrient has on the rate at which organic matter decomposes.
   - Simple: The way adding a nutrient changes how fast dead plant and animal matter breaks down.
   - _Fresh carbon input triggered priming, accelerating the breakdown of older soil organic matter._
   - _Researchers observed priming when nitrogen was added to the decomposing litter._
10. A method of preparing seeds for planting by presoaking them in a nanoparticle solution.
   - Simple: A way of getting seeds ready by soaking them in a special liquid before planting.
   - _Nanoparticle priming improved how evenly the seeds germinated._
   - _The lab compared priming against untreated seeds in the same soil._
11. A harmful fault in a steam locomotive in which boiler water is swept along with the steam into the cylinders.
   - Simple: A problem where water is pushed out of a steam engine's boiler along with the steam.
   - _Foaming in the boiler caused priming, sending slugs of water into the cylinders._
   - _The driver eased the throttle to prevent priming on the steep climb._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/priming (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).