Prime factor

Prime factor
Prime Prime, a. [F., fr. L. primus first, a superl. corresponding to the compar. prior former. See {Prior}, a., {Foremost}, {Former}, and cf. {Prim}, a., {Primary}, {Prince}.] 1. First in order of time; original; primeval; primitive; primary. ``Prime forests.'' --Tennyson. [1913 Webster]

She was not the prime cause, but I myself. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

Note: In this sense the word is nearly superseded by primitive, except in the phrase prime cost. [1913 Webster]

2. First in rank, degree, dignity, authority, or importance; as, prime minister. ``Prime virtues.'' --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

3. First in excellence; of highest quality; as, prime wheat; a prime quality of cloth. [1913 Webster]

4. Early; blooming; being in the first stage. [Poetic] [1913 Webster]

His starry helm, unbuckled, showed him prime In manhood where youth ended. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

5. Lecherous; lustful; lewd. [Obs.] --Shak. [1913 Webster]

6. Marked or distinguished by a mark (') called a prime mark. [1913 Webster]

7. (Math.) (a) Divisible by no number except itself or unity; as, 7 is a prime number. (b) Having no common factor; -- used with to; as, 12 is prime to 25. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

{Prime and ultimate ratio}. (Math.). See {Ultimate}.

{Prime conductor}. (Elec.) See under {Conductor}.

{Prime factor} (Arith.), a factor which is a prime number.

{Prime figure} (Geom.), a figure which can not be divided into any other figure more simple than itself, as a triangle, a pyramid, etc.

{Prime meridian} (Astron.), the meridian from which longitude is reckoned, as the meridian of Greenwich or Washington.

{Prime minister}, the responsible head of a ministry or executive government; applied particularly to that of England.

{Prime mover}. (Mech.) (a) A natural agency applied by man to the production of power. Especially: Muscular force; the weight and motion of fluids, as water and air; heat obtained by chemical combination, and applied to produce changes in the volume and pressure of steam, air, or other fluids; and electricity, obtained by chemical action, and applied to produce alternation of magnetic force. (b) An engine, or machine, the object of which is to receive and modify force and motion as supplied by some natural source, and apply them to drive other machines; as a water wheel, a water-pressure engine, a steam engine, a hot-air engine, etc. (c) Fig.: The original or the most effective force in any undertaking or work; as, Clarkson was the prime mover in English antislavery agitation.

{Prime number} (Arith.), a number which is exactly divisible by no number except itself or unity, as 5, 7, 11.

{Prime vertical} (Astron.), the vertical circle which passes through the east and west points of the horizon.

{Prime-vertical dial}, a dial in which the shadow is projected on the plane of the prime vertical.

{Prime-vertical transit instrument}, a transit instrument the telescope of which revolves in the plane of the prime vertical, -- used for observing the transit of stars over this circle. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Prime factor — In number theory, the prime factors of a positive integer are the prime numbers that divide into that integer exactly, without leaving a remainder. The process of finding these numbers is called integer factorization, or prime factorization.For a …   Wikipedia

  • prime factor — noun the prime factors of a quantity are all of the prime quantities that will exactly divide the given quantity • Hypernyms: ↑divisor, ↑factor * * * noun : a factor that is a prime number * * * prime factor, Mathematics. a factor that has no… …   Useful english dictionary

  • prime factor — noun (C) a number that can be divided only by itself and the number one, and is a factor of another number: 7 is a prime factor of 21 …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • Prime-factor FFT algorithm — The Prime factor algorithm (PFA), also called the Good Thomas algorithm (1958/1963), is a fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm that re expresses the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of a size N = N 1 N 2 as a two dimensional N 1 times; N 2 DFT …   Wikipedia

  • prime factor — 1. noun A factor of a given integer which is also a prime number. 2. verb to reduce an integer to its set of prime factors See Also: set, prime number, prime factorization …   Wiktionary

  • prime factor — main cause, main factor …   English contemporary dictionary

  • F prime factor — F prime factor. = F factor (см.). (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • F-prime factor — F prime factor. См. F эписома. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • Prime number — Prime redirects here. For other uses, see Prime (disambiguation). A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that has no positive divisors other than 1 and itself. A natural number greater than 1 that is not a prime number is… …   Wikipedia

  • Prime — Prime, a. [F., fr. L. primus first, a superl. corresponding to the compar. prior former. See {Prior}, a., {Foremost}, {Former}, and cf. {Prim}, a., {Primary}, {Prince}.] 1. First in order of time; original; primeval; primitive; primary. Prime… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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