prime number

noun

: any integer other than 0 or ± 1 that is not divisible without remainder by any other integers except ± 1 and ± the integer itself

Examples of prime number in a Sentence

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Prime Target follows Woodall’s Edward Brooks, a math genius (hence the reference to prime numbers) on the brink of a major breakthrough who senses someone may be trying to thwart his discovery. Lucy Ford, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024 The work not only broke the previous record, which had stood for 80 years, but led to new results about the distribution of prime numbers. Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 16 Dec. 2024 To make a public key, start with two large prime numbers. John Pavlus, WIRED, 15 Dec. 2024 For one thing, current math benchmarks are mostly pitched to high school or undergraduate-level math—a far cry from research-level math, which often tackles notorious problems unsolved for centuries, such as the distribution of prime numbers. Byzack Savitsky, science.org, 3 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for prime number 

Word History

Etymology

translation of Late Latin prīmus numerus, translation of Greek prôtos arithmós

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of prime number was in 1570

Dictionary Entries Near prime number

Cite this Entry

“Prime number.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prime%20number. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

prime number

noun
: a whole number other than 0 or ±1 that is not divisible without a remainder by any other whole numbers except ±1 and ± itself

More from Merriam-Webster on prime number

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