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

New rules for cable and satellite-TV providers means the companies need to clearly show total costs for video subscriptions, including extraneous fees that can add up to triple digits a year, the Federal Communications Commission announced on Thursday. —Kate Gibson, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024

The claim that spread online this past week misused Social Security Administration data tracking routine requests made by states to verify the identity of individuals who registered to vote using the last four digits of their Social Security number. —Ali Swenson and Melissa Goldin, Quartz, 6 Apr. 2024

If a customer had their payment card saved to their Hot Topic Rewards account, the hacker could only view the last four digits of the card number on file, according to the company. —Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY, 1 Apr. 2024

Real estate parcel numbers are 17 digits long with lots of dashes. —Natalie Wallington, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024

Afterpay’s youngest users’ spending on many staples has surged by double and triple digits, with contact lenses soaring 465% from 2022 to 2023, garbage bags jumping 182% and first-aid antiseptics rising 98%. —J.j. McCorvey, NBC News, 10 Mar. 2024

There's no remainder, so 0 is the first digit in our binary number (20 place). —Rhett Allain, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024

Pi Day is celebrated annually on March 14, since the date written numerically corresponds with the first three digits of π. —Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024

National Pi Day is celebrated on March 14 to recognize the mathematical constant, with the first three digits as 3.14, according to National Day Calendar. —Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 14 Mar. 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