digit
Americannoun
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a finger or toe.
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the breadth of a finger used as a unit of linear measure, usually equal to 3/4 inch (2 centimeters).
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any of the Arabic figures of 1 through 9 and 0.
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any of the symbols of other number systems, as 0 or 1 in the binary.
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Astronomy. the twelfth part of the sun's or moon's diameter: used to express the magnitude of an eclipse.
noun
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a finger or toe
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Also called: figure. any of the ten Arabic numerals from 0 to 9
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another name for finger
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astronomy one twelfth of the diameter of the sun or moon, used to express the magnitude of an eclipse
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of digit
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin digitus “finger, toe”
Explanation
If you want to sound smart, you can refer to your finger, thumb, or toe as a digit. Each of the numbers from 0 to 9 is another kind of digit. Although your pinkie toe may seem to be completely unrelated to the number three, each is a kind of digit. In fact, the practice of calling numbers digits comes from the digits on your hands — specifically, the habit of counting to ten on your fingers. The Latin root word digitus means "finger or toe," and English borrowed from this to mean "number."
Vocabulary lists containing digit
Pi Day Vocabulary
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Arithmetic
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Unit 2: Pivotal Words and Phrases
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Instead, the researchers view digit ratio as a possible marker of hormonal exposure during early fetal development.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
Energy-sector earnings will be affected in coming months, but the stock market more broadly will be underpinned by the forecast for “robust double digit earnings growth,” he adds.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
It is GSK’s biggest acquisition in several years after focusing on deals in the low- to mid-single digit billions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Looking ahead, Ralph Lauren forecasts fiscal first-quarter sales rising in the mid-to-high-single digit percentages.
From Barron's ● May 21, 2026
I started with a bead the size of the last digit of my little finger, my guess as to how much resin Denna had actually swallowed.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
If regulators approve those increases, it would be the second year in a row that premiums rose by double digits.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
Seven of these stocks are still up by triple digits this year, despite the large declines during July.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
The company previously said it would be wrapping on the launch of the z17 in the latest quarter, and infrastructure revenue would be down low-single digits for the year beginning this quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
"I'm expecting our exports to the UK to now grow in double digits," Goenka said.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Most importantly, basic data appears about every person in the arena, in tiny blue digits over each of their heads, so many that the data seems to blur into streaks.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.