numeral

[ noo-mer-uh l, nyoo-; noom-ruh l, nyoom- ]

/ ˈnu mər əl, ˈnyu-; ˈnum rəl, ˈnyum- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR numeral ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a word, letter, symbol, or figure, etc., expressing a number; number: the Roman numerals.

adjective

of, relating to, or consisting of numbers or numerals.

expressing or noting a number or numbers.

Nearby words

Origin of numeral

1520–30; < Late Latin numerālis of, belonging to number, equivalent to Latin numer(us) number + -ālis -al¹

Related formsnon·nu·mer·al, noun, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for numeral

If you are invited into the office of its director, you can see a clock on the wall that has a small hole near the numeral 1.
Anne Frank’s Amsterdam|Russell Shorto|October 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
We all dance the entire DSM IV (and its coming progeny, the Roman numeral–free DSM 5) right down the line.
‘Girls’ Shows Us the Real OCD With Hannah’s Brutal Q-Tip Scene|Kent Sepkowitz|March 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There are a few cases in which the "backward sign" includes also the numeral in the second position.
An Introduction to the Study of the Maya Hieroglyphs|Sylvanus Griswold Morley
Secondly, a Roman numeral immediately follows the above to denote the number of versions, if variants have been found.
A Syllabus of Kentucky Folk-Songs|Hubert G. Shearin

The angle of a cypher, which might play the part of a hyphen in ordinary type, alone tells them what numeral is intended.
The Strand Magazine - Vol. 1 - No. 6 - June 1891|Various
The numeral before each group refers to the page on which the words first appear.
The Young and Field Literary Readers, Book 2|Ella Flagg Young
Notice that the name of the street in each case is a numeral.
Business English|Rose Buhlig

British Dictionary definitions for numeral

numeral

/ (ˈnjuːmərəl) /

noun

a symbol or group of symbols used to express a number: for example, 6 (Arabic), VI (Roman), 110 (binary)

adjective

of, consisting of, or denoting a number

Word Origin for numeral

C16: from Late Latin numerālis belonging to number, from Latin numerus number

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for numeral

numeral

1520s, "word expressing a number," from Middle French numéral (late 15c.), from Late Latin numeralis "of or belonging to a number," from Latin numerus "a number" (see number (n.)). Meaning "figure standing for a number" is from 1680s. As an adjective, "expressing number," from 1520s.