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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(becoming outdated, elevated) First, leading, or of the highest rank.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.
Compare with
Premier vs führend
leading
'führend' and 'Premier' can both express that someone or something is in first place or has a very high rank. 'führend' is the normal word for this today, especially for companies, people, or fields. 'Premier', by contrast, sounds elevated and old-fashioned and is used only rarely today. In everyday life, work, and the media, 'führend' is almost always more natural. 'Premier' is more likely to fit in fixed or very special expressions.
Premier
In dem alten Text wird der Maler als der Premier seiner Zeit beschrieben.
In the old text, the painter is described as the premier artist of his time.
führend
Das Unternehmen ist in Europa führend bei Solartechnik.
The company is a leader in solar technology in Europe.
In real life
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