Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “hexadecimal” come from?

Hexadecimal derives from English hexa- and English decimal, which comes from Latin decās, combined with Latin -ālis, from Ancient Greek δέκα (déka, ten), Proto-Hellenic dékə, and Proto-Indo-European swéḱs.

hexadecimal (English): A number system with base sixteen, using the...

Definitions

  1. A number system with base sixteen, using the...

Ancestry of “hexadecimal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishdecimalA number expressed in the base-ten system, a...
2Medieval Latindecimalis—
3LatinDecimus—
4Latindecemten; 10
5Latin-nus-an
6Proto-Italic-nos—
7Proto-Indo-European-nósCreates verbal adjectives from roots

Words derived from “hexadecimal”

  • hexadecimally
  • hexit
  • nonhexadecimal
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -nós →