numeral

As an adjective, from Middle English numeral, numerall, from Latin numerālis (“pertaining to a number”),^[1][2] from numerus (“a number”).

As a noun, via Middle French numeral.^[3]

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: nyo͞oʹm(ə)rəl, IPA^(key): /ˈnjuːməɹəl/, /ˈnjuːmɹəl/
• (General American) enPR: no͞oʹm(ə)rəl, IPA^(key): /ˈnuməɹəl/, /ˈnumɹəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: nu‧mer‧al, num‧eral

numeral (plural numerals)

1. A symbol that is not a word and represents a number, such as the Arabic numerals 1, 2, 3 or the Roman numerals I, V, X, L.
2. A representation of a number composed of such symbols.
   • 1966, Robert Lee Morton, Modern Mathematics Through Discovery, page 97:

     Compare the numeral for the product with the original decimal numeral.

4. (linguistics) A number word, a simple or compound word for a number often having particular grammatical attributes depending on the language.

   Hyponyms: cardinal numeral, ordinal numeral, distributive numeral, multiplicative numeral, multiplier, collective numeral

   • 2002, Laurie Bauer, Rodney Huddleston, “Lexical word-formation”, in The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, page 1715:

     We use the term numeral for linguistic expressions and number for meanings. For example, five is a numeral expressing the number "5" - and fifteen hundred and one thousand five hundred are different numerals expressing the same number, "1,500".

5. (card games) A card whose rank is a number (usually including the ace as 1).

   Jacks, queens, and kings are not numerals.

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:numeral.

• digit

numeral (not comparable)

1. Of or relating to numbers; numerical.
   • 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC:

     A long train of numeral progressions.

• (of or relating to numbers): numeric; see also Thesaurus:numerical

• noun numeral
• numeral system

• “numeral”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “numeral”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “numeral”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• IPA^(key): /numeˈɾal/ [nũ.meˈɾɑɫ]
• Rhymes: -al
• Hyphenation: nu‧me‧ral

numeral m (plural numerais)

1. (grammar) numeral (word representing a number)

• “numeral”, in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega (in Galician), A Coruña: Royal Galician Academy, 2012–2026
• “numeral”, in Dicionário Estraviz de galego (in Galician), 2014–2026

• IPA^(key): /numeˈral/

numeral

1. numeral

numeral

1. numeral

numeral m (feminine singular numerale, masculine plural numeraux, feminine plural numerales)

1. numeral; numerical
   • 1474, author unknown, Mystere de l'Incarnation:

     Numerales proporcions

     Numerical proportions

• Frédéric Godefroy (1880–1902), “numeral”, in Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle […], Paris: F[riedrich] Vieweg; Émile Bouillon, →OCLC.

numeral n (definite singular numeralet, indefinite plural numeral or numeraler, definite plural numerala or numeralene)

1. numeral

   Synonym: tallord

numeral n (definite singular numeralet, indefinite plural numeral, definite plural numerala)

1. numeral

   Synonym: talord

• IPA^(key): /nymeˈral/
• Rhymes: -al

numeral

1. numeral

Learned borrowing from Latin numerālis.

• Audio (Brazil (Caipira)):

  (file)

• Rhymes: (Brazil) -aw, (Portugal) -al
• Hyphenation: nu‧me‧ral

numeral m or f (plural numerais, not comparable)

1. numeral, numeric

numeral m (plural numerais)

1. (linguistics) numeral

• “numeral”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “numeral”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Borrowed from French numeral, from Latin numeralis. By surface analysis, număr +‎ -al.

numeral m or n (feminine singular numerală, masculine plural numerali, feminine/neuter plural numerale)

1. numeral

• IPA^(key): /numeˈɾal/ [nu.meˈɾal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: nu‧me‧ral

numeral m (plural numerales)

1. (linguistics) numeral

• “numeral”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025
• Manuel Seco; Olimpia Andrés; Gabino Ramos (3 August 2023), “numeral”, in Diccionario del español actual [Dictionary of Current Spanish] (in Spanish), third digital edition, Fundación BBVA [BBVA Foundation]