Other forms: premiers
Premier means first in importance or in quality. The premier league, a premier institution, premier position.
As a noun it is a head of government — the premier of a Canadian province or an Australian state, and a common newspaper word for a prime minister. Do not confuse it with premiere, the first performance, which has the extra e and a different sound.
1adjectivepremierFirst in importance or in quality.
“It's one of the country's premier universities for medicine.”
2nounheadA head of government.
“The Chinese premier met European leaders to discuss trade.”
premier is a quality of rank, or a leader.
Middle French premier comes from Latin primarius, of the first rank, from primus, first. Primary is the same word.
Latin
prīmārius
Middle French
premier
English, today
premier
Borrowed from Middle French premier, from Latin prīmārius. a doublet of primary.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA