Where does “number” come from?
Number comes from Middle English nombre, from Old French nombre, from Latin numerus meaning "a sum of units," ultimately related to Latin -arius.
number (English): An abstract entity used to describe quantity; A...
Definitions
- An abstract entity used to describe quantity; A...
Ancestry of “number”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | numb | Physically unable to feel, not having the power... |
| 2 | English | nim | To take or seize; To filch, steal; To walk with... |
| 3 | Middle English | nimen | to take |
| 4 | Old English | niman | to take, seize |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | neman | to take |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | nemaną | to take |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | nem- | to distribute; to give, to take |
Words derived from “number”