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Webster 1913 Edition

Number

Num′ber

(nŭm′bẽr)
,
Noun.
[OE.
nombre
, F.
nombre
, L.
numerus
; akin to Gr.
νόμοσ
that which is dealt out, fr.
νέμειν
to deal out, distribute. See
Numb
,
Nomad
, and cf.
Numerate
,
Numero
,
Numerous
.]
1.
That which admits of being counted or reckoned; a unit, or an aggregate of units; a numerable aggregate or collection of individuals; an assemblage made up of distinct things expressible by figures.
2.
A collection of many individuals; a numerous assemblage; a multitude; many.
Ladies are always of great use to the party they espouse, and never fail to win over
numbers
.
Addison.
3.
A numeral; a word or character denoting a number;
as, to put a
number
on a door
.
4.
Numerousness; multitude.
Number
itself importeth not much in armies where the people are of weak courage.
Bacon.
5.
The state or quality of being numerable or countable.
Of whom came nations, tribes, people, and kindreds out of
number
.
2 Esdras iii. 7.
6.
Quantity, regarded as made up of an aggregate of separate things.
7.
That which is regulated by count; poetic measure, as divisions of time or number of syllables; hence, poetry, verse; – chiefly used in the plural.
I lisped in
numbers
, for the
numbers
came.
Pope.
8.
(Gram.)
The distinction of objects, as one, or more than one (in some languages, as one, or two, or more than two), expressed (usually) by a difference in the form of a word; thus, the singular number and the plural number are the names of the forms of a word indicating the objects denoted or referred to by the word as one, or as more than one.
9.
(Math.)
The measure of the relation between quantities or things of the same kind; that abstract species of quantity which is capable of being expressed by figures; numerical value.
Abstract number
,
Abundant number
,
Cardinal number
,
etc. See under
Abstract
,
Abundant
, etc.
–
In numbers
,
in numbered parts; as, a book published in numbers.

Num′ber

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Numbered
(nŭm′bẽrd)
;
p. pr & vb. n.
Numbering
.]
[OE.
nombren
,
noumbren
, F.
nombrer
, fr. L.
numerare
,
numeratum
. See
Number
,
Noun.
]
1.
To count; to reckon; to ascertain the units of; to enumerate.
If a man can
number
the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be
numbered
.
Gen. xiii. 16.
2.
To reckon as one of a collection or multitude.
He was
numbered
with the transgressors.
Is. liii. 12.
3.
To give or apply a number or numbers to; to assign the place of in a series by order of number; to designate the place of by a number or numeral;
as, to
number
the houses in a street, or the apartments in a building
.
4.
To amount; to equal in number; to contain; to consist of;
as, the army
numbers
fifty thousand
.
Thy tears can not
number
the dead.
Campbell.
Numbering machine
,
a machine for printing consecutive numbers, as on railway tickets, bank bills, etc.
Syn. – To count; enumerate; calculate; tell.

Webster 1828 Edition

Number

NUM'BER

,
Noun.
[Probably the radical sense is to speak, name or tell, as our word tell, in the other dialects, is to number. Number may be allied to name, as the Spaniards use nombre for name, and the French word written with the same letters, is number.]
1.
The designation of a unit reference to other units, or in reckoning, counting, enumerating; as, one is the first number; a simple number.
2.
An assemblage of two or more units. Two is a number composed of one and one added. Five and three added make the number eight. Number may be applied to any collection or multitude of units or individuals, and therefore is indefinite, unless defined by other words or by figures or signs of definite signification. Hence,
3.
More than one; many.
Ladies are always of great use to the party they espouse, and never fail to win over numbers.
4.
Multitude.
Number itself importeth not much in armies, where the men are of weak courage.
5.
In poetry, measure; the order and quantity of syllables constituting feet, which render verse musical to the ear. The harmony of verse consists in the proper distribution of the long and short syllables, with suitable pauses. In oratory, a judicious disposition of words, syllables and cadences constitutes a kind of measure resembling poetic numbers.
6.
Poetry; verse.
I lisped in numbers, for the numbers came.
Here the first word numbers may be taken for poetry or verse, and the second for measure.
Yet shoud the Muses bid my numbers roll.
7.
In grammar, the difference of termination or form of a word, to express unity or plurality. The termination which denotes one or an individual, is the singular number; the termination that denotes two or more individuals or units, constitues the plural number. Hence we say, a noun, an adjective, a pronoun or a verb is in the singular or the plural number.
8.
In mathematics, number is variously distinguished. cardinal numbers are those which express the amount of units; as 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10. Ordinal numbers are those which express order; as first, second, third, fourth, &c.
Determinate number, is that referred to a given unit, as a ternary or three; an indeterminate number, is referred to unity in general, and called quantity.
Homogeneal numbers, are those referred to the same units; those referred to different units are termed heterogeneal.
Whole numbers, are called integers.
A rational number, is one commensurable with unity. A number incommensurable with unity, is termed irrational or surd.
A prime or primitive number, is divisible only by unity; as three, five, seven, &c.
A perfect number, is that whose aliquot parts added together, make the whole number, as 28, whose aliquot parts, 14. 7. 4. 2. 1. make the number 28.
An imperfect number, is that whose aliquot parts added together, make more or less than the number. This is abundant or defedtive; abundant, as 12, whose aliquot parts, 6. 4. 3. 2. 1. make 16; or defective, as 16 whose aliquot parts, 8. 4. 2. 1. make 15 only.
A square number, is the product of a number multiplied by itself; as, 16 is the square number of four.
A cubic number, is the product of a square number by its root; as, 27 is the product of the square number 9 by its root 3.
Golden number, the cycle of the moon, or revolution of 19 years, in which time the conjunctions, oppositions and other aspects of the moon are nearly the same as they were on the same days of the month 19 years before.

NUM'BER

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To count; to reckon; to ascertain the units of any sum, collection or multitude.
If a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Genesis 8.
2.
To reckon as one of a collection or multitude.
He was numbered with the transgressors. Isaiah 53.

Definition 2024

number

number

English

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

number ‎(plural numbers)

  1. (countable) An abstract entity used to describe quantity.
    Zero, one, -1, 2.5, and pi are all numbers.‎
  2. (countable) A numeral: a symbol for a non-negative integer.
    The number 8 is usually made with a single stroke.‎
  3. (countable, mathematics) A member of one of several classes: natural numbers, integers, rational numbers, real numbers, complex numbers, quaternions.
    The equation includes the most important numbers: 1, 0, , , and .‎
  4. (Followed by a numeral; used attributively) Indicating the position of something in a list or sequence. Abbreviations: No or No., no or no. (in each case, sometimes written with a superscript "o", like Nº or №). The symbol "#" is also used in this manner.
    Horse number 5 won the race.‎
  5. Quantity.
    • 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52:
      From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much. […]   But viewed from high up in one of the growing number of skyscrapers in Sri Lanka’s capital, it is clear that something extraordinary is happening: China is creating a shipping hub just 200 miles from India’s southern tip.
    Any number of people can be reading from a given repository at a time.‎
    • Francis Bacon
      Number itself importeth not much in armies where the people are of weak courage.
  6. A sequence of digits and letters used to register people, automobiles, and various other items.
    Her passport number is C01X864TN.‎
  7. (countable, informal) A telephone number.
    • 2001, E. Forrest Hein, The Ruach Project, Xulon Press, page 86:
      “[...] I wonder if you could get hold of him and have him call me here at Interior. I’m in my office, do you have my number?”
    • 2007, Lindsey Nicole Isham, No Sex in the City: One Virgin's Confessions on Love, Lust, Dating, and Waiting, Kregel Publications, page 111:
      When I agreed to go surfing with him he said, “Great, can I have your number?” Well, I don’t give my number to guys I don’t know.
  8. (grammar) Of a word or phrase, the state of being singular, dual or plural, shown by inflection.
    Adjectives and nouns should agree in gender, number, and case.‎
  9. (now rare, in the plural) Poetic metres; verses, rhymes.
    • 1635, John Donne, The Triple Foole:
      Griefe brought to numbers cannot be so fierce, / For, he tames it, that fetters it in verse.
  10. (countable) A performance; especially, a single song or song and dance routine within a larger show.
    For his second number, he sang "The Moon Shines Bright".‎
  11. (countable, informal) A person.
    • 1968, Janet Burroway, The dancer from the dance: a novel, Little, Brown, page 40:
      I laughed. "Don't doubt that. She's a saucy little number."
    • 1988, Erica Jong, Serenissima, Dell, page 214:
      "Signorina Jessica," says the maid, a saucy little number, "your father has gone to his prayers and demands that you come to the synagogue at once [...]"
    • 2005, Denise A. Agnew, Kate Hill & Arianna Hart, By Honor Bound, Ellora's Cave Publishing, page 207:
      He had to focus on the mission, staying alive and getting out, not on the sexy number rubbing up against him.
  12. (countable, informal) An item of clothing, particularly a stylish one.
    • 2007, Cesca Martin, Agony Angel: So You Think You've Got Problems..., Troubador Publishing Ltd, page 134:
      The trouble was I was wearing my backless glittering number from the night before underneath, so unless I could persuade the office it was National Fancy Dress Day I was doomed to sweat profusely in bottle blue.
    • 2007, Lorelei James, Running with the Devil, Samhain Publishing, Ltd, page 46:
      "I doubt the sexy number you wore earlier tonight fell from the sky."
  13. (slang, chiefly US) A marijuana cigarette, or joint; also, a quantity of marijuana bought form a dealer.
    • 2009, Thomas Pynchon, Inherent Vice, Vintage 2010, page 12:
      Back at his place again, Doc rolled a number, put on a late movie, found an old T-shirt, and sat tearing it up into short strips […]
  14. (dated) An issue of a periodical publication.
    the latest number of a magazine
Synonyms
Hyponyms
  • See also Wikisaurus:number
Derived terms
Related terms
  • Look at pages starting with number.
See also
Translations

Verb

number ‎(third-person singular simple present numbers, present participle numbering, simple past and past participle numbered)

  1. (transitive) To label (items) with numbers; to assign numbers to (items).
    Number the baskets so that we can find them easily.
  2. (intransitive) To total or count; to amount to.
    I don’t know how many books are in the library, but they must number in the thousands.
Derived terms
  • number among
Translations

See also

  • Wiktionary’s Appendix of numbers

Etymology 2

From numb + -er.

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: nŭm'ə, IPA(key): /ˈnʌmə/
  • (US): enPR: nŭm'ər, IPA(key): /ˈnʌmɚ/
  • Hyphenation: num‧ber

Adjective

number

  1. comparative form of numb: more numb

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: city · held · help · #342: number · alone · body · point

Estonian

Etymology

From German Nummer. The added -b- is analoguous to kamber and klamber.

Noun

number ‎(genitive numbri, partitive numbrit)

  1. number

Declension

Etymology

From Middle English number, nombre, numbre, noumbre, a borrowing from Anglo-Norman noumbre, Old French nombre, from Latin numerus ‎(“number”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *nem- ‎(“to divide”). Compare Saterland Frisian Nummer, Nuumer, West Frisian nûmer, Dutch nummer ‎(“number”), German Nummer ‎(“number”), Danish nummer ‎(“number”), Swedish nummer ‎(“number”), Icelandic númer ‎(“number”).

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