pseudoprime

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noun

An integer that possesses at least one characteristic of a prime number without actually being prime. The characteristic is typically chosen to make such "false primes" very rare.

OriginEnglish prime ← Middle English pseudo- ← Ancient Greek ψευδής (pseudḗs) →
Scrabble 18
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Meanings

nounpseudoprime (plural pseudoprimes)

plural pseudoprimes

  1. mathematicsAn integer that possesses at least one characteristic of a prime number without actually being prime. The characteristic is typically chosen to make such "false primes" very rare.
  2. specificallymathematicsA Fermat pseudoprime; a composite integer n satisfying bⁿ⁻¹≡1(mod n) for some integer b such that b > 1.
adjectivepseudoprime (not comparable)
  1. not comparableBeing such an integer.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekψεύδω (pseúdō)
  2. Ancient Greekψευδής (pseudḗs)
  3. Middle Englishpseudo-
  4. Englishpseudo-
  5. Englishprime
  6. Englishpseudoprime

From pseudo- + prime.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

pseudoprime. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pseudoprime

MLA

“pseudoprime.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pseudoprime. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pseudoprime,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pseudoprime.

Source: pseudoprime on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.