numeral

/ˈnumərəl/

/ˈnumərəl/

Other forms: numerals

A numeral is a symbol that stands for a number. When you set an online password, it's safest to use both numerals and letters.

The actual symbol that represents a number is technically called a numeral, although many people use numeral and number interchangeably. You might have a watch with glow-in-the-dark numerals, or use the calculator on your smart phone to add up numerals. You can also use numeral as an adjective: "How many numeral cards are in the deck and how many face cards?" The Latin root is numerus, or "number."

Definitions of numeral

1. noun

   a symbol used to represent a number
   “he learned to write the numerals before he went to school”

   synonyms: number

   types:

   Arabic numeral, Hindu numeral, Hindu-Arabic numeral

   one of the symbols 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,0

   Roman numeral

   a symbol in the old Roman notation; I,V,X,L,C,D,M represent 1,5,10,50,100,500,1000 respectively in Arabic notation

   antilog, antilogarithm

   the number of which a given number is the logarithm

   type of:

   symbol

   an arbitrary sign (written or printed) that has acquired a conventional significance
2. adjective

   of or relating to or denoting numbers
   “a numeral adjective”

   synonyms: numeric, numerical