Where does “siffer” come from?
siffer (Norwegian Nynorsk) comes from Arabic صِفر, from Latin cifra, from Arabic صِفْر, from Sanskrit शून्य, from Proto-Indo-European ḱówH-.
siffer (Norwegian Nynorsk): a digit
Ancestry of “siffer”, step by step
siffer traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Arabic صِفر
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Arabic | صِفر | empty, void |
| 2 | Latin | cifra | numeral, cipher; zero |
| 3 | Arabic | صِفْر | zero, nothing, empty, void; nothing, cipher;... |
| 4 | Sanskrit | शून्य | zero; cipher, cypher; blank, deserted |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱówH- | — |
via Old French cifre
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old French | cifre | — |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | cifra | zero, numeral; numeral, cipher; zero |
| 3 | Arabic | صفر | to be empty, to be devoid, to be vacant; to... |
| 4 | Arabic | ص ف ر | Related to emptiness; Related to losing color; to... |