Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “numeral” come from?

Numeral comes from Middle French numeral, from Latin numeralis, formed from Latin numerus with the suffix -alis, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European nem-.

numeral (English): A symbol that is not a word and represents a...

Definitions

  1. A symbol that is not a word and represents a...

Ancestry of “numeral”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchnumeralnumeral; numerical
2LatinnumeralisOf or belonging to a number; numeral
3Latinnumerusnumber; collection, quantity; rank, position
4Proto-Italicnomezos—
5Proto-Indo-Europeannémesos—

Words derived from “numeral”

  • numerals
  • pronumeral
  • transnumeral
  • numerally
Every word from Proto-Indo-European némesos →