Primeval means belonging to the earliest ages of the world. A primeval forest, primeval swamp, primeval fear.
Of feelings it means deep and inherited rather than reasoned, which is the commonest figurative use. Almost no forest in Europe is genuinely primeval, since nearly all of it has been cut and grown back.
1adjectiveprimevalBelonging to the earliest ages of the world.
“The island is covered in primeval rainforest that has never been cut down.”
primeval is a quality.
Also accepted in games: primaeval
The Latin parts are first and age, and the first is the one in prime. Primeval belongs to the first age of the world, before any of the rest.
hooks ontoprime
Latin primaevus is primus, first, plus aevum, an age.
Proto-Indo-European
*per-
English, today
primeval
Built from
From primaevus + -al, from primus (“first”) + aevum (“time, age”); see prime and age.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA