The Spanish verb 'primar' meaning 'to prioritize' or 'to excel' traces its roots back to the Latin word 'primus' meaning 'first'. This evolved into the Latin adjective 'primarius' meaning 'of the first rank', which then passed through Old French as 'primer' meaning 'to put first', before finally entering Spanish as 'primar'.

The semantic development from 'first' to 'prioritize/excel' is quite logical - when you prioritize something, you put it first in importance, and when you excel at something, you are essentially putting yourself in first place or at the top rank.

Several common Spanish words share this same Latin root 'primus': 'primero' (first), 'primo' (cousin, originally meaning 'first/primary relation'), 'primitivo' (primitive, original), and 'primavera' (spring, literally 'first season'). All these words carry the core meaning of 'first' or 'primary' in different contexts.

English speakers can connect 'primar' to many familiar words that come from the same Latin root 'primus': 'primary', 'prime', 'primitive', 'primer' (an introductory book), and even 'principal' (originally meaning 'first in importance'). The word 'premier' meaning 'first in status or importance' also shares this etymology. All these words maintain some connection to the original meaning of 'first' or 'foremost'.