primal

Primal, a.

Etymology: [LL. primalis, fr. L. primus the first. See Prime, a.]

First; primary; original; chief. It hath the primal eldest curse upon it. Shak. The primal duties shine aloft like stars. Wordsworth.

Shades of meaning

Fernald has no entry of its own for primal; he lists it under primeval.

Where he writes about it:

Primal is chiefly poetic, in the sense of prime; as, the primal curse. — from primeval