prime
/pʁim/
In French, prime can mean prime (mathematics) or a bonus or extra amount.
In a mathematical context, prime is an adjective describing a number that has no factors except itself and unity. In professional or formal contexts, prime is used to refer to a bonus, an additional amount received or a specific sum of money or allowance granted as an allocation. Common specific uses include Prime de naissance (a birth grant or bonus given to new parents upon the birth of a child), Prime de fin d'année (an end-of-year bonus typically given to employees during the holiday season) and Prime d'assiduité (an attendance bonus).
Meaning: mathematics: having no factors except itself and unity (adj)
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/pʁim/
Did you know?
- In French, the phrase en prime can be used as an idiom meaning 'as an added bonus' or 'on top of everything else', often when describing a series of unfortunate events.
- In the Catholic tradition, prime refers to the first hour of the canonical hours, the early morning prayer service.
- While prime means 'bonus' in a professional context, it is also the word for an insurance 'premium', referring to the regular payment made to keep a policy active.
Examples in context
- Metroid Prime 3 : Corruption est un jeu vidéo de Nintendo vendu exclusivement pour la Wii."Metroid Prime 3: Corruption" is a videogame by Nintendo sold exclusively for the Wii.This sentence shows the use of prime in the title of a video game.Tatoeba #390689 by Scott, translation #390651 by Scott
- J'ai reçu une prime exceptionnelle pour mon excellent travail.I received an exceptional bonus for my outstanding work.
- 1 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucas and Emma are studying for a math test.
- LucasEmma, comment reconnaît-on un nombre prime ?Emma, how do you recognize a prime number?
- EmmaC'est un nombre divisible seulement par un et lui-même.It is a number divisible only by one and itself.
- LucasAlors, neuf n'est pas un nombre prime ?So, nine is not a prime number?
- EmmaNon, car on peut le diviser par trois.No, because you can divide it by three.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry prime, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
