Primer may refer to:

Arts, entertainment, and media

Films

* ''Primer'' (film), a 2004 feature film written and directed by Shane Carruth * ''Primer'' (video), a documentary about the funk band Living Colour

Literature

Primer (textbook) A primer (in this sense usually pronounced , sometimes , usually the latter in modern British English) is a first textbook for teaching of reading, such as an alphabet book or basal reader. The word also is used more broadly to refer to any book t ...

, a textbook used in primary education to teach the alphabet and other basic subjects * Primer (prayer book), a common name for English prayer books used from the 13th to 16th centuries * '' The New England Primer'' (1688), a Puritan book from Colonial America with morality-themed rhymes

Music

* ''Primer'' (album), a 1995 music album by the musical group Rockapella * Primer 55, an American alternative metal band * "The Primer", a song from the 2005 album '' Alaska'' by Between the Buried and Me

Firearms

* Primer (firearms), a firearm powder charge-ignition mechanism **

Centerfire ammunition Two rounds of .357 Magnum, a centerfire cartridge; notice the circular primer in the center A centerfire cartridge is a firearm metallic cartridge whose primer is located at the center of the base of its casing (i.e. "case head"). Unlike rimf ...

, Boxer or Berdan primers used in modern centerfire cartridges **

Detonator A detonator, frequently a blasting cap, is a device used to trigger an explosive device. Detonators can be chemically, mechanically, or electrically initiated, the last two being the most common. The commercial use of explosives uses electri ...

, a small explosive device also known as an explosive primer or blasting cap ** Friction primer, an ignition device for muzzle-loading cannon ** Percussion cap, a gunpowder ignition device for 19th century muzzle-loading firearms and modern replicas

Coatings

* Primer (cosmetics), a cream or lotion applied before another to improve coverage and persistence * Primer (paint), a coating applied to a surface to prepare it for paint or another coating or adhesive

Fonts

* Great primer, a font size of 18 points * Long primer, a font size between bourgeois and small pica * Primer (typeface)

People

* Sylvester Primer (1842–1912), American linguist and philologist * John Primer (born 1945), American Chicago singer and guitarist

Software

* Primer (app), free mobile application by Google * Primer-E Primer, software for statistical analysis of ecological data

Other uses

* Primer (gasoline engine), a device on some petrol engines used to prime the engine with gasoline before starting it *

Primer (molecular biology) Primer may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Primer'' (film), a 2004 feature film written and directed by Shane Carruth * ''Primer'' (video), a documentary about the funk band Living Colour Literature * Primer (textbook), a te ...

, a nucleic acid strand (or related molecule) that serves as a starting point for replication * Money-creation primer * Trap primer, a plumbing device or valve that adds water to traps