What does the p in p-value stand for?

Question

Just to clarify, I know more or less how the p-value works, and that the topic of how to properly use the p-value for statistics has already been addressed on this site.

I was really just wondering what it actually stood for, as I couldn't find an answer elsewhere on the internet.

Answer 1

I believe it originates from Karl Pearson formally, so the P may stand for Pearson. I teach my students to think of the p-value as a plausibility-value, as a measure of how plausible the null hypothesis is, though I know that is not technically correct.

Answer 2

The p stands for probability. A p-value is the probability that we get a sample like the one you tested by random chance alone. Thus, a low p-value tells you that it is extremely unlikely for a sample like the one you have to occur based on random chance.