Numbering

How to spell numbering

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce numbering

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does numbering mean?

1. verbMarking items with numbers in sequence, or the system of numbers so assigned.

Numbering in a sentence

• The editor spent the afternoon numbering each page of the report.

• The warehouse uses a strict numbering system to track every shelf.

Where does numbering come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin numerus, which simply meant 'a number' or 'a quantity'. From numerus came the Old French nombre, and English took it on in the 1300s as 'number', keeping the borrowed b that had crept in to ease pronunciation between the m and the r. That intrusive b is the very letter that makes 'numbering' a quiet spelling trap: it is fully silent, so the hand wants to write what the ear hears. The form 'numbering' is the present participle and gerund built by adding the ordinary -ing ending, and it has been used both for the act of assigning numbers and for a finished scheme of numbers since the word settled into English. The same numerus root still powers a whole family of relatives, including 'numeral', 'numerous', and 'enumerate'.

How the word is built

• numb- (from Latin numerus: number)
• -er
• -ing (verb/noun suffix)