Numbers

How to spell numbers

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce numbers

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does numbers mean?

1. nounArithmetical values or figures used to count, measure, or label things.
2. verbAmounts to a particular total, or assigns figures to items in sequence.

Numbers in a sentence

• noun

  The accountant checked the numbers on the quarterly report twice.

• verb

  The crowd at the festival numbers in the thousands every summer.

• noun

  Please memorise these phone numbers before the trip.

• verb

  The clerk numbers each page before filing the document.

Where does numbers come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin numerus, which meant 'a count, a quantity, or a sum', the same root that gives us 'numeral', 'numerous', and 'enumerate'. Latin numerus passed into Old French as nombre, carrying the sense of a counted total, and Middle English borrowed it during the 1200s as 'nombre'. The spelling later drifted toward 'number' under the influence of the Latin original, and the silent 'b' is the lingering trap, since it is written but never sounded. The plural and the verb form simply add '-s' to that base. It is worth noting that the related word 'enumerate' keeps the clean Latin look, while 'number' hides its 'b' from the ear.

How the word is built

• numb- (from Latin numerus: a count, sum)
• -er (noun base)
• -s (plural / third-person marker)