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pre·miere or pre·mière (prĭ-mîr, -myâr)
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n.
The first public performance, as of a movie or play.
v. pre·miered, pre·mier·ing, pre·mieres or pre·mièred or pre·mièr·ing or pre·mières
v.tr.
To present the first public performance of.
v.intr.
1. To have the first public performance.
2. To make a first appearance in a public performance.
adj.
First or paramount; premier.

[French première, from feminine of premier, first; see PREMIER.]

Usage Note: In entertainment contexts, the verb premiere has become the standard way of saying "to introduce to the public," or "to be introduced to the public." The verb first came out in the 1920s and has been the object of some criticism, but acceptance of it has been increasing ever since. The example The Philharmonic will premiere works by two young Americans was acceptable to only 14 percent of the Usage Panel in 1969, but in 1987 acceptance of the same sentence rose to 51 percent; in 1999, to 77 percent; and in 2008, to 84 percent. Acceptance of sentences in nonentertainment contexts, as in Last fall the school premiered several new degree programs, has lagged but followed a similar trajectory. Only 10 percent of the Panelists in our 1988 survey accepted the sentence Last fall the school premiered new degree programs in science and technology. The 1999 survey showed some increase in acceptability, to 25 percent, for the same sentence. In 2008, acceptance reached 38 percent. Thus, this usage might still be considered infelicitous by many, but resistance is waning.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.