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 cosmetic primer is a cream applied before another cosmetic to improve coverage and lengthen the amount of time the cosmetic lasts on the face. Variations There are different kinds of cosmetic primers such as foundation primer, eyelid primer, ...

, 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