digit

noun

dig·​it ˈdi-jət 

1

a

: any of the Arabic numerals 1 to 9 and usually the symbol 0

b

: one of the elements that combine to form numbers in a system other than the decimal system

c

digits plural, slang : the digits of a telephone number

At the end of the meal, the pair discussed wanting to see the Dupont Underground art exhibit, and that's when Scott smoothly asked for her digits and said they should go.

—Vijai Nathan

2

: a unit of length based on the breadth of a finger and equal in English measure to 3/4 inch

3

: any of the divisions in which the limbs of most vertebrates terminate, which are typically five in number but may be reduced (as in the horse), and which typically have a series of phalanges bearing a nail, claw, or hoof at the tip compare finger sense 1, toe sense 1a

Synonyms

• figure
• integer
• number
• numeral
• numeric
• whole number

Examples of digit in a Sentence

a three-digit number like 507

She suffered several broken digits.

Recent Examples on the Web

Putting the sequence of digits together to create 12/12 means that there is an infinite driving force in the universe to move our hopes forward. —Lisa Stardust, People.com, 12 Dec. 2024

The tab for celebratory dinners with his extended family often approached four digits, and his paycheck as a software engineer wasn’t stretching as far as before. —Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024

Returning to the reality of luxury travel for those of us with fewer digits in our bank account balances, Internova Executive Vice President Albert Herrera shares good and bad news. —Doug Gollan, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024

And perhaps the most famous example is the development of the digits in vertebrates. —Steven Strogatz, Quanta Magazine, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "whole number less than ten, Arabic figure used to represent it," borrowed from Latin digitus "finger, toe, finger's breadth as a measure" (Medieval Latin also "whole number less than ten"), of uncertain origin

Note: The Latin word digitus has long been associated with the base *deik-evident in dīcere "to talk, speak" and related words descended from Indo-European *dei̯ḱ- "show, point out" (see diction), though explanations for the voicing of the velar stop, as remote assimilation or dissimilation, are difficult to sustain. Ernout and Meillet (Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue latine) suggest a connection with a root *dei̯g-, taken to be a variant of *dei̯ḱ- and reflected in Gothic taikns "sign," etc. (see token entry 1, teach), but more recent thinking (as G. Kroonen, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic) trace the Germanic etymon directly to *dei̯ḱ-. Digitus hence remains without a certain etymology. Compare dactyl, toe entry 1.

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing digit

• double-digit
• significant digit
• single-digit

Kids Definition

digit

noun

dig·​it ˈdij-ət 

1

a

: any of the Arabic numerals 1 to 9 and usually the symbol 0

b

: one of the elements that are used to form numbers in a system other than the decimal system

2

: a finger or toe

Etymology

Middle English digit "numeral," from Latin digitus "finger, toe"

Medical Definition

digit

noun

dig·​it ˈdij-ət 

: any of the divisions (as a finger or toe) in which the limbs of amphibians and all higher vertebrates including humans terminate, which are typically five in number but may be reduced (as in the horse), and which typically have a series of phalanges bearing a nail, claw, or hoof at the tip