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 of digit

• number
• integer

Examples of digit in a Sentence

a three-digit number like 507

She suffered several broken digits.

Recent Examples on the Web

Enter your current license plate number and the last five digits of your vehicle’s title number. —Evan Moore december 16, Charlotte Observer, 16 Dec. 2025

California State Fair will soon bid farewell to scorching days in the triple digits announcing a move to the fall in 2027. —Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 15 Dec. 2025

That's definitely true in my backyard in Northern Utah, where conditions range each year from triple-digit heat to single-digit cold or lower, not to mention the feet of snow that fall some winters. —New Atlas, 13 Dec. 2025

So reporters had to trace them through the state financial system using 29-digit account codes and 6-digit object codes. —Miami Herald, 12 Dec. 2025

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

Rhymes for digit

• fidget
• midget
• widget

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