Etymology Explorer › Russian

Where does “цифра” come from?

цифра (Russian) comes from Latin cifra, from Arabic صِفْر, from Sanskrit शून्य, from Proto-Indo-European ḱówH-.

цифра (Russian): figure, cipher, digit; figures, numbers; digital...

Definitions

  1. figure, cipher, digit; figures, numbers; digital...

Ancestry of “цифра”, step by step

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