number

English Online Dictionary. What means number‎? What does number mean?

English

Alternative forms

• nummer (dialectal)
• numbre (obsolete)

Etymology 1

From Middle English number, nombre, numbre, noumbre, 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”). Replaced Middle English ȝetæl and rime, more at tell, tale and rhyme.

Pronunciation

• enPR: nŭmʹbər, IPA^(key): /ˈnʌmbər/
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): [ˈnɐmbə(ɹ)]
  • (US, Canada) IPA^(key): [ˈnʌ̟mbɚ(ɹ)]
  • (General Australian) IPA^(key): [ˈnɐmbɐ(ɹ)]
• Rhymes: -ʌmbə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: num‧ber

Noun

number (plural numbers)

1. (countable) An abstract entity used to describe quantity.

2. (countable) A numeral: a symbol for a non-negative integer.

   Synonyms: scalar, (obsolete) rime

3. (countable, mathematics) An element of one of several sets: natural numbers, integers, rational numbers, real numbers, complex numbers, and sometimes extensions such as hypercomplex numbers, etc.

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.

6. Quantity.

7. A sequence of digits and letters used to register people, automobiles, and various other items.

9. (countable, informal) A telephone number.
   • 2016, VOA Learning English (public domain)

     Marsha's work number is 555-8986.

11. (grammar) Of a word or phrase, the state of being singular, dual or plural, shown by inflection.

12. (now rare, in the plural) Poetic metres; verses, rhymes.
13. (countable) A performance; especially, a single song or song and dance routine within a larger show.

14. (singular only, formal) A group of people.

    one of our number ― one of us
15. (countable, informal) A person.
16. (countable, informal) An outfit, particularly a stylish one.
17. (slang, chiefly US) A marijuana cigarette, or joint; also, a quantity of marijuana bought from a dealer.
18. (dated) An issue of a periodical publication.

    the latest number of a magazine

19. A large amount, in contrast to a smaller amount; numerical preponderance.
20. An activity; assignment; job, as in cushy number.

Hyponyms

• See also Thesaurus:number

Derived terms

• English terms starting with “number”

Descendants

Translations

Verb

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

1. (intransitive) To total or count; to amount to.
2. (transitive, passive voice) To limit to a certain number; to reckon (as by fate) to be few in number.
3. (transitive, literary or archaic) To count; to determine the quantity of.
4. (transitive) To label (items) with numbers; to assign numbers to (items).
5. (transitive, with off) To call out and assign a series of numbers (usually to people), either for the sake of dividing into groups or for counting.
6. (transitive, with off) To enumerate or list, especially while assigning numbers to.
7. (transitive, usually with among) To classify or include (in a group of things)
8. (intransitive, usually with among) To be classified or included (in a certain group or category of things).

Translations

See also

• (grammatical numbers): singular, dual, trial, quadral, paucal, plural, singulative
• Wiktionary’s Appendix of numbers

References

• number on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “number”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

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

Anagrams

• numbre, renumb

Estonian

Alternative forms

• nr (abbreviation)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnumb̥er/, [ˈnumb̥er]
• Rhymes: -umber
• Hyphenation: num‧ber

Noun

number (genitive numbri, partitive numbrit)

1. number (the symbol representing the number, its character)
2. number plate, licence plate, license plate

   Synonym: numbrimärk

3. number (periodical (numbered) single issue)

   Synonym: ajalehenumber

Declension

References

• number in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut)
• “number”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009

Middle English

Noun

number

1. Alternative form of nombre

Papiamentu

Etymology

From English number.

An analogy of the Papiamentu word nòmber "name".

Noun

number

1. number