Forms: 5–6 elementar(e, -air, -arie (7–8 elimentarie, -y). [ad. L. elementārius, f. elementum: see ELEMENT and -AR, -ARY. Cf. F. élémentaire.]
1. Of or pertaining to the four elements or any one of them; = ELEMENTAL 1. rare in mod. use.
1549. Compl. Scot., vi. (1872), 47. The fyrst part [of the varld] is the regione elementair.
1605. Timme, Quersit., I. v. 21. The elementary qualities passiue.
c. 1645. Howell, Lett. (1650), III. ix. 18–9. A species of living Creatures in the Orb of the Moon, which may bear som analogie with those of this Elementary world.
1669. Gale, Crt. Gentiles, I. III. iii. 46. If our Light be a Substance, its either Heavenly, or Elementarie.
a. 1761. Law, Comf. Weary Pilgr. (1809), 90. This elementary world.
1856. Tait’s Mag., XXIII. 763. This year of peace has been distinguished by ‘elementary’ war—by deluges and earthquakes.
† 2. Composed of, or produced by, the (four) elements; material, physical; opposed to spiritual, celestial, etc.; ELEMENTAL 2. Obs.
c. 1440. [see 3].
1612. Woodall, Surg. Mate, Wks. (1655), 239. A Mineral is an elementarie body that is of it self firm and fixed.
1635. Swan, Spec. M., iii. § 2 (1643), 48. The uncreated Light (viz. God) commanded this elementarie light to be.
a. 1656. Bp. Hall, Occas. Medit. (1851), 9. A false and elementary apparition.
1727. De Foe, Syst. Magic, I. iii. (1840), 88. The Devil … set his human and elementary instruments at work.
1750. trans. Leonardus’ Mirr. Stones, 48. Others … say, there is only an Elementary Virtue in Stones.
† b. That is in the condition of raw material.
1799. trans. Meister’s Lett. on Eng., 145. There is more gross and elementary matter in the English diet.
† 3. Applied to air, fire, water, earth (cf. ELEMENTAL 3): a. Physical, material, literal, as opposed to figurative or ‘spiritual’; also, such as they exist in this lower world. b. In their state of pure elements, as opposed to the impure state in which they are cognizable by the senses.
c. 1440. Hylton, Scala Perf. (W. de W., 1494), II. xxxiii. God is not fyre elementare.
1610. Healey, St. Aug. Citie of God, 438. Some … held the Christalline heavens composed of waters … of a farre other nature then the Elementary.
1652. French, Yorksh. Spa, ii. 7. The whole Elementary air being of its owne nature most subtile.
1658. Torments of Hell, in Phenix (1708), II. 438. Corporal elementary Fire is light … the Fire of Hell is not corporal Fire.
1782. Kirwan, in Phil. Trans., LXXII. 230. Fixed air … when stripped of phlogiston, and impregnated with … elementary fire, becomes again dephlogisticated air.
1794. R. J. Sulivan, View Nat., I. 56. Glass appears to be the true elementary earth, and all mixed bodies are only glass in disguise.
4. Pertaining to the great forces of nature. Elementary gods: the gods of the elements. Cf. ELEMENTAL 4, which is now in more frequent use.
1739. H. Walpole, Corr. (1820), I. 23. The elementary god of fire.
1841. Elphinstone, Hist. Ind., I. 173. The worship of the old elementary gods.
b. fig. Comparable to the great forces of nature.
1865. M. Arnold, Ess. Crit., v. 185. Byron … the greatest elementary power … in our literature since Shakespeare.
† 5. Like one’s ‘native element’; congenial. Obs.
1760. H. Brooke, Fool of Quality (1792), v. 5. He found their manners congenial and elementary to his own natural turn and disposition.
6. Of the nature of an (absolutely or relatively) ultimate constituent. Of chemical substances: Simple, not decomposable.
1622. Peacham, Compl. Gentl., xv. (1634), 161. As if light were a qualitie resulting of an elementary composition, it being created before all mixe bodies.
1736. Butler, Anal., I. i. 18. The solid elimentary Particles of Matter.
1751. Harris, Hermes (1841), 210. To about twenty plain elementary sounds … we owe that variety of articulate voices.
1813. Bakewell, Introd. Geol. (1815), 33. The elementary substances of which [rocks] are composed are very few.
1876. Geo. Eliot, Dan. Der., II. xxxiii. 339. What one may call the elementary expressions of the face.
b. Math. Of the nature of an element or infinitesimal part (see ELEMENT 8).
1882. Minchin, Unipl. Kinemat., 83. Elementary polar area of the curve C.
1885. Watson & Burbury, Math. Th. Electr. & Magn., I. 98. An elementary area of that surface.
7. Of the nature of elements or rudiments; rudimentary, introductory. Elementary book, writer, one that deals with first principles. Elementary school, one in which primary instruction is given.
1542. Recorde, Gr. Artes (1575), 429. I would not wishe you to cleaue still to these elementarie aydes.
1597. T. Morley, Introd. Mus., Annot., Musicke is diuided into two parts, the first may be called Elementarie or rudimental.
1793. T. Beddoes, Math. Evid., 17. The same thing must … be … true of every other elementary author.
1812. Sir H. Davy, Chem. Philos., 24. Elementary books on the science.
1841. W. Spalding, Italy & It. Isl., III. 341. In 1835, the elementary schools were 4422.
1860. Mill, Repr. Govt. (1865), 22/2. Elementary maxims of prudence.
1863. Lyell, Antiq. Man, 5. These innovations have been treated of in my … Manual of Elementary Geology.
† b. That has not advanced beyond the rudiments. Obs.
1599. B. Jonson, Cynthia’s Rev., II. iii. Wks. 1616, 202 (T.). Your courtier elementarie, is one but newly enter’d, or as it were in the alphabet.
