premier
(becoming outdated, elevated) First, leading, or of the highest rank. Today it is used only rarely in fixed expressions.
EXAMPLE
Er kaufte nur Weine premier Cru aus Frankreich.
He bought only premier cru wines from France.
der Premier
premier
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Meanings
Usage tips
Origin and register
The adjective 'premier' is a direct borrowing from French and means 'first.' In German, it is used only very rarely and in an elevated, formal style.
EXAMPLE
Er gilt als der premier Repräsentant der modernen Malerei in seinem Land.
He is considered the premier representative of modern painting in his country.
Fixed expressions
This adjective is found almost exclusively in fixed expressions, often borrowed from French. These include 'Premier Cru' for wine or 'premier danseur' for the principal male dancer in ballet.
EXAMPLE
Zum Jubiläum öffneten sie eine Flasche Wein eines Premier-Cru-Weinguts.
For the anniversary, they opened a bottle of wine from a Premier Cru winery.
Grammatical peculiarity
In fixed expressions from French, 'premier' is often not declined according to German rules. It keeps its original form, even when it stands before a noun.
EXAMPLE
Dieser Wein ist als Premier Cru klassifiziert.
This wine is classified as Premier Cru.
In real life
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