Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Primrose

Primrose , noun

[Old English primerole, French primerole, a derivative from Late Latin primula, from Latin primus first. See Prime, a.]

(a)
(Botany) An early flowering plant of the genus Primula (Primula vulgaris) closely allied to the cowslip. There are several varieties, as the white-, the red-, the yellow-flowered, etc. Formerly called also primerole, primerolles.
(b)
(Botany) Any plant of the genus Primula.
Collocations (2)
Evening primrose , an erect biennial herb (Enothera biennis), with yellow vespertine flowers, common in the United States. The name is sometimes extended to other species of the same genus.
Primrose peerless , the two-flowered Narcissus (Narcissus biflorus). [Obsolete]

Primrose , adjective

Of or pertaining to the primrose; of the color of a primrose; -- hence, flowery; gay.
The primrose path of dalliance. — Shakespeare