Definition:
For purposes of desktop publishing and typography, prime is a mathematical symbol used to denote a division into parts — most notably feet or minutes. Six feet may be noted as 6' while 6° 5′ is read as 6 degrees, 5 minutes (a minute represents a 60th of a degree in geometry). There are other ways that prime marks may be used in math notations as well.
The Wrong Apostrophe
The prime mark is often used in place of the curly apostrophe in typewritten material, emails, on the Web, etc. It is a straight, upright or slightly slanted tick mark — in some fonts it may be tapered or shaped like an upside down teardrop. When the prime symbol is used as an apostrophe (or for single quote marks) in typeset material, it is often considered a sign of amateur or sloppy typography.Dumb Quotes
Many word processing and desktop publishing software programs have a feature known as smart quotes that will automatically convert dumb quotes (prime marks, non-curly quote marks) to the typeset apostrophe and curly quotation marks. This option can be turned off or overridden — a necessity when the intent is to use a prime for mathematical notations.Pronunciation: [prahym]
Also Known As: apostrophe | upright tick mark | feet mark | minute mark
