# ideal number

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. An algebraic integer that represents an ideal in the ring of integers of a number field.

## Etymology
Apparently a calque of German ideale Zahl, a concept in number theory developed by German mathematician Ernst Kummer (1810—1893) and later incorporated by Richard Dedekind into the ring theory concept of ideal.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ideal-number