sieve of Eratosthenes
noun phraseTo save this word, you'll need to log in.
sieve of Er·a·tos·the·nes | \ -ˌer-ə-ˈtäs-thə-ˌnēz 
\
\Definition of sieve of Eratosthenes
: a procedure for finding prime numbers that involves writing down the odd numbers from 2 up in succession and crossing out every third number after 3, every fifth after 5 including those already crossed out, every seventh after 7, and so on with the numbers that are never crossed out being prime
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on sieve of Eratosthenes
What made you want to look up sieve of Eratosthenes? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Semantic Drift Quiz
- Which of the following was once a synonym for fun?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share sieve of Eratosthenes
Time Traveler for sieve of Eratosthenes
The first known use of sieve of Eratosthenes was in 1803
See more words from the same year