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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
Recent Examples on the Web
Everyone is obsessed with those dang prime numbers.
—
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 22 Jan. 2025
Ed goes to the Cambridge library to find past studies on prime numbers, but all of them have been suspiciously scrubbed from the campus’ database.
—
Rebecca Iannucci, TVLine, 22 Jan. 2025
Ben Green, a mathematician at the University of Oxford, is fascinated by the mysterious patterns that characterize the prime numbers.
—
Joseph Howlett, WIRED, 19 Jan. 2025
In the trailer for the conspiracy thriller released Monday, Woodall stars as an intelligent math postgraduate Edward Brook, who discovers a breakthrough in possibly finding a pattern in prime numbers.
—
Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Jan. 2025
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Word History
Etymology
translation of Late Latin prīmus numerus, translation of Greek prôtos arithmós
First Known Use
1570, in the meaning defined above
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 10 Feb. 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
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about prime number
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