digit

American  

[dij-it] / ˈdɪdʒ ɪt /

noun

1. a finger or toe.

2. the breadth of a finger used as a unit of linear measure, usually equal to 3/4 inch (2 centimeters).

3. any of the Arabic figures of 1 through 9 and 0.

4. any of the symbols of other number systems, as 0 or 1 in the binary.

5. index.

6. Astronomy. the twelfth part of the sun's or moon's diameter: used to express the magnitude of an eclipse.

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digit British  

/ ˈdɪdʒɪt /

noun

1. a finger or toe

2. Also called: figure.  any of the ten Arabic numerals from 0 to 9

3. another name for finger

4. astronomy one twelfth of the diameter of the sun or moon, used to express the magnitude of an eclipse

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Etymology

Origin of digit

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin digitus “finger, toe”

Explanation

If you want to sound smart, you can refer to your finger, thumb, or toe as a digit. Each of the numbers from 0 to 9 is another kind of digit. Although your pinkie toe may seem to be completely unrelated to the number three, each is a kind of digit. In fact, the practice of calling numbers digits comes from the digits on your hands — specifically, the habit of counting to ten on your fingers. The Latin root word digitus means "finger or toe," and English borrowed from this to mean "number."

Example Sentences

Given its revenue for the same quarters last year, this implies low single digit percentage growth year over year.

From Barron's • May 28, 2026

For the anniversary, I didn’t want to charge a triple digit entry price for one big party.

From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026

That’s as much as $37 billion in bonuses—a mid-single digit share of GDP—and a boon to other Korean companies.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

The project also included Duke University plastic surgeon David A. Brown, who studies digit regeneration in mice, and Kenneth D. Poss of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whose research focuses on fin regeneration in zebrafish.

From Science Daily • May 9, 2026

Of course I am not checking the ten or more digit UPC numbers, which lie just under the bar codes—nobody does.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich