Definition of digit

The origin of the word "digit" dates back to the 14th century. It comes from the Latin word "digitus," which means "finger" or "toe." This Latin word is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root "dheg-," which means "to grasp" or "to take hold of." In the early 15th century, the word "digit" referred specifically to the fingers and toes, and later, in the 17th century, it began to be used to refer to numbers, likely due to the fact that we count using our fingers. Today, the word "digit" is used to refer to any single number or figure in a numerical system, and is a fundamental term in mathematics, computer science, and other fields.