entry
digit
/ˈdɪdʒɪt/A finger; a numeral from zero through nine
From Latin digitus (finger or toe).
from Latin digitus "finger or toe" (also with secondary meanings relating to counting and numerals), considered to be...
+1 more sourcefrom Latin digitus "finger or toe" (also with secondary meanings relating to counting and numerals), considered to be...
+1 more sourcefrom Latin digitus "finger or toe" (also with secondary meanings relating to counting and numerals), considered to be...
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Latin digitus "finger or toe" (also with secondary meanings relating to counting and numerals), considered to be...
+1 more sourcefrom Latin digitus "finger or toe" (also with secondary meanings relating to counting and numerals), considered to be...
+1 more sourcefrom Latin digitus "finger or toe" (also with secondary meanings relating to counting and numerals), considered to be...
+1 more sourceBefore “digit” became something glowing on a phone screen, it was simply a Latin finger—or toe. Romans counted with their hands, so digitus naturally acquired its numerical sense; by the late 14th century, English digit meant a numeral below ten. The finger meaning arrived in English later, in the 1640s, while the mathematical meaning had already marched ahead. Latin digitus is sometimes connected with dicere, “to say,” through the idea of pointing something out, but that relationship is not completely secure. Its theatrical descendant, prestidigitator, literally evokes a performer whose quick fingers make coins vanish and cards appear: every digital device still carries that ancient hand-based arithmetic in its name.
The Story
Before “digit” became something glowing on a phone screen, it was simply a Latin finger—or toe. Romans counted with their hands, so digitus naturally acquired its numerical sense; by the late 14th century, English digit meant a numeral below ten. The finger meaning arrived in English later, in the 1640s, while the mathematical meaning had already marched ahead. Latin digitus is sometimes connected with dicere, “to say,” through the idea of pointing something out, but that relationship is not completely secure. Its theatrical descendant, prestidigitator, literally evokes a performer whose quick fingers make coins vanish and cards appear: every digital device still carries that ancient hand-based arithmetic in its name.
Modern Usage
A phone number, especially in the phrase “your digits”
Kin & Kindred
From 'digitus'·finger or toe; a number
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wiktionary