digitus Latin · revision 4679

+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|attested=Naevius}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA (Classical): [ˈdɪ.ɡɪ.tʊs]^(Wiktionary)

+ * IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈdiː.d͡ʒi.tus]^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Forms==

+ '''digitus''' ''m'' (genitive digitī); second declension^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The origin is uncertain.^(de Vaan 2008) A link with [[dīcō]] “to say, show”, the finger as “pointer”, is attractive and often assumed, from [[ine-pro|*deyǵ-|t=to show]] beside [[ine-pro|*deyḱ-]], but de Vaan notes that the change of /k/ to /g/ would be unparalleled in Latin.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Wiktionary)^(OLD 2012)^(Georges 1913) The Thesaurus also mentions comparisons with [[goh|zēha|t=toe]] and [[got|𐍄𐌰𐌹𐌺𐌽𐍃|tr=taikns|t=sign]].^(TLL)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Naevius uses it.^(de Vaan 2008) Köbler dates Naevius c. 235–200 BC.^(Köbler 2010)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ It was a finger, ''digitus pollex'' the thumb and ''digitus index'' the forefinger, and a toe.^(OLD 2012)^(Georges 1913) Cicero speaks of touching something with the tips of the fingers and of touching the sky with a finger.^(Gaffiot 2016) As a measure it was a finger's breadth, a sixteenth of a Roman foot.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary) It was also the tip of a twig.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ In medieval Latin it was used in counting on the fingers and in mathematics.^(MLW)^(DMLBS) It survives as [[it|dito]], [[es|dedo]], [[pt|dedo]] and [[ro|deget]].^(Wiktionary) English ''digit'' is recorded in the late 14th century as a numeral below ten, since such numbers were counted on the fingers.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 235–200 BC – Naevius uses it.^(de Vaan 2008)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * 81–43 BC – Cicero speaks of touching with the fingertips.^(Gaffiot 2016)^(Köbler 2010)

+ * late 14th century – English ''digit'' is recorded.^(Etymonline)

+ * mid-15th century – English ''digital'' is recorded, from [[digitālis]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Meanings==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A [[m|en|finger]], ''digitus pollex'', the thumb.^(OLD 2012)^(Lewis & Short 1879)

+ # A [[m|en|toe]].^(OLD 2012)

+ # A finger's breadth, an [[m|en|inch]] (a sixteenth of a foot).^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+ # The tip of a branch, a twig.^(OLD 2012)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(mathematics)'' A [[m|en|digit]].^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[digitābulum]]

+ * [[digitālis]]

+ * [[digitātus]]

+ * [[digitulus]]

+ * [[sesquidigitus]]

+ * [[digitō]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[en|digit]]

+ * [[en|digital]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ Isidore calls the finger's breadth the smallest of the land measures.^(Isidore) The ''Digitī Īdaeī'' were the priests of Cybele, the Idaean Dactyls.^(Lewis & Short 1879)^(OLD 2012)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}