Main entry: aboriginal, primaeval, primal, primeval, primordial
Definition: having existed from the beginning; in an earliest or original stage or state
Usage: aboriginal forests; primal eras before the appearance of life on earth; the forest primeval; primordial matter; primordial forms of life
Main entry: cardinal, central, key, primal, fundamental
Definition: serving as an essential component
Usage: a cardinal rule; the central cause of the problem; an example that was fundamental to the argument; computers are fundamental to modern industrial structure