# prime

> English word · Adjective · IPA /pɹaɪ̯m/ · frequency rank #1,642

## Definitions
1. First in importance, degree, or rank.
2. First in time, order, or sequence.
3. First in excellence, quality, or value.
4. Having exactly two integral factors: itself and unity (1 in the case of integers).
5. Such that if it divides a product, it divides one of the multiplicands.
6. Having its complement closed under multiplication.
7. Such that the annihilator of any nonzero submodule is equal to the annihilator of the whole module.
8. Marked or distinguished by the prime symbol.
9. Early; blooming; being in the first stage.
10. Lecherous, lewd, lustful.

## Etymology
From Middle English prime, from Old French prime and its etymon, Latin prīmus (“first”), from earlier prīsmos < *prīsemos < Proto-Italic *priisemos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *per- (“beyond, before”). Doublet of primo and primus.
The noun sense "apostrophe-like symbol" originates from the fact that the symbol ′ was originally a superscript Roman numeral one.

## Easily confused with
- **prom** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-prom)
- **prior** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-prior)
- **prove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-prove)
- **prize** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-prize)
- **print** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-print)
- **probe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-probe)
- **prone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-prone)
- **promo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-promo)
- **prose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-prose)
- **privy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-privy)
- **prism** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-prism)
- **Prius** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-prius)
- **primo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-primo)
- **prune** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-prune)
- **Priya** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-priya)
- **prude** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-prude)
- **prince** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-prince)
- **prizes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-prizes)
- **primer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-primer)
- **prized** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prime-vs-prized)

## Common misspellings (7)
`pirme`, `pprime`, `priem`, `primme`, `prmie`, `prrime`, `rpime`

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