Etymology Explorer › Old French

Where does “cifre” come from?

cifre (Old French) comes from Latin cifra, from Arabic صِفْر, from Sanskrit शून्य, from Proto-Indo-European ḱówH-.

Ancestry of “cifre”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latincifranumeral, cipher; zero
2Arabicصِفْرzero, nothing, empty, void; nothing, cipher;...
3Sanskritशून्यzero; cipher, cypher; blank, deserted
4Proto-Indo-EuropeanḱówH-—

Words derived from “cifre”

  • циферблат
  • beziffern
  • Ziffer
  • Zifferblatt
  • циферблат
  • ciferblat
  • zifer
  • Ziffer
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱówH- →