significant figure

[sig-nif-i-kuhnt fig-yer]

noun

1. each of the digits forming a number that expresses a determined degree of calculation: a sequence of significant figures always begins with the number’s first nonzero digit.

   Rounding each of the measurements to three significant figures, your answers to the first two problems should be 19.0 inches and 4.52 kilometers, respectively.

Word History and Origins

Origin of significant figure¹

First recorded in 1610–20