Question

In the investigation both of the orthography and signification of words, their ETYMOLOGY was necessarily to be considered, and they were therefore to be divided into primitives and derivatives. A primitive word, is that which can be traced no further to any English root; thus circumspect, circumvent, circumstance, delude, concave and complicate, though compounds in the Latin, are to us primitives.
–Preface to A Dictionary of the English
Language,
Samuel Johnson
What is the connotation of the word primitives as it is used in the passage?

Based on the word’s connotation, what is the meaning of primitives as it is used in the passage

Answer 1

Connotation: neutral and technical — “primitive” here means original or basic, not the pejorative sense of uncivilized.

Meaning in the passage: a “primitive” is a word that cannot be traced back to an earlier English root — i.e., an original or primary form (even if derived from Latin), not a derivative of another English word.