Number (root: number)

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)
• HYPHEN: num=ber

CIDE DICTIONARY

Number, n. [OE. nombre, F. nombre, L. numerus; akin to Gr. no`mos that which is dealt out, fr. ne`mein to deal out, distribute. See Numb, Nomad, and cf. Numerate, Numero, Numerous.].

•  That which admits of being counted or reckoned; a unit, or an aggregate of units; a numerable aggregate or collection of individuals; an assemblage made up of distinct things expressible by figures.  [1913 Webster]
•  A collection of many individuals; a numerous assemblage; a multitude; many.  [1913 Webster]

  "Ladies are always of great use to the party they espouse, and never fail to win over numbers."  [1913 Webster]
•  A numeral; a word or character denoting a number; as, to put a number on a door.  [1913 Webster]
•  Numerousness; multitude.  [1913 Webster]

  "Number itself importeth not much in armies where the people are of weak courage."  [1913 Webster]
•  The state or quality of being numerable or countable.  [1913 Webster]

  "Of whom came nations, tribes, people, and kindreds out of number."  [1913 Webster]
•  Quantity, regarded as made up of an aggregate of separate things.  [1913 Webster]
•  That which is regulated by count; poetic measure, as divisions of time or number of syllables; hence, poetry, verse; -- chiefly used in the plural.  [1913 Webster]

  "I lisped in numbers, for the numbers came."  [1913 Webster]
•  The distinction of objects, as one, or more than one (in some languages, as one, or two, or more than two), expressed (usually) by a difference in the form of a word; thus, the singular number and the plural number are the names of the forms of a word indicating the objects denoted or referred to by the word as one, or as more than one.  [1913 Webster]
•  The measure of the relation between quantities or things of the same kind; that abstract species of quantity which is capable of being expressed by figures; numerical value.  [1913 Webster]

Abstract number, Abundant number, Cardinal number, etc. See under Abstract, Abundant, etc. -- In numbers, in numbered parts; as, a book published in numbers.

Number, v. t. [OE. nombren, noumbren, F. nombrer, fr. L. numerare, numeratum. See Number, n.].

•  To count; to reckon; to ascertain the units of; to enumerate.  [1913 Webster]

  "If a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered."  [1913 Webster]
•  To reckon as one of a collection or multitude.  [1913 Webster]

  "He was numbered with the transgressors."  [1913 Webster]
•  To give or apply a number or numbers to; to assign the place of in a series by order of number; to designate the place of by a number or numeral; as, to number the houses in a street, or the apartments in a building.  [1913 Webster]
•  To amount; to equal in number; to contain; to consist of; as, the army numbers fifty thousand.  [1913 Webster]

  "Thy tears can not number the dead."  [1913 Webster]

Numbering machine, a machine for printing consecutive numbers, as on railway tickets, bank bills, etc.

Syn. -- To count; enumerate; calculate; tell.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Number, n. & v.
--n.
1 a an arithmetical value representing a particular quantity and used in counting and making calculations. b a word, symbol, or figure representing this; a numeral. c an arithmetical value showing position in a series esp. for identification, reference, etc. (registration number).
2 (often foll. by of) the total count or aggregate (the number of accidents has decreased; twenty in number).
3 a the study of the behaviour of numbers; numerical reckoning (the laws of number). b (in pl.) arithmetic (not good at numbers).
4 a (in sing. or pl.) a quantity or amount; a total; a count (a large number of people; only in small numbers). b (in pl.) numerical preponderance (force of numbers; there is safety in numbers).
5 a a person or thing having a place in a series, esp. a single issue of a magazine, an item in a programme, etc. b a song, dance, musical item, etc.
6 company, collection, group (among our number).
7 Gram. a the classification of words by their singular or plural forms. b a particular such form.
8 colloq. a person or thing regarded familiarly or affectionately (usu. qualified in some way: an attractive little number).
9 (Numbers) the Old Testament book containing a census.
--v.tr.
1 include (I number you among my friends).
2 assign a number or numbers to.
3 have or amount to (a specified number).
4 a count. b include.

Idiom

by numbers following simple instructions (as if) identified by numbers. one's days are numbered one does not have long to live. have a person's number colloq. understand a person's real motives, character, etc. have a person's number on it (of a bomb, bullet, etc.) be destined to hit a specified person. number cruncher Computing & Math. sl. a machine capable of complex calculations etc. number crunching the act or process of making these calculations. one's number is up colloq. one is finished or doomed to die. a number of some, several.

Usage

Use with a plural verb is now standard: a number of problems remain. number one n. colloq. oneself (always takes care of number one).
--adj. most important (the number one priority). number-plate a plate on a vehicle displaying its registration number. numbers game
1 usu. derog. action involving only arithmetical work.
2 US a lottery based on the occurrence of unpredictable numbers in the results of races etc. Number Ten 10 Downing Street, the official London home of the British Prime Minister. number two a second in command. without number innumerable.

Etymology

ME f. OF nombre (n.), nombrer (v.) f. L numerus, numerare

THESAURUS

Number

G, M, a certain number, a few, a number, account, act, add up, add up to, afterpiece, aggregate, aggregate to, amount, amount to, apportion, army, art, article, back matter, back number, batch, beat, bevy, billion, bit, block out, blood, book, box score, brand, breed, budget, bunch, business, calculate, call off, call over, call the roll, calling, career, career building, careerism, cast, census, chapter, character, chaser, chiliad, chiliagon, chiliahedron, chiliarch, chiliarchia, chunk, cipher, clan, clause, clutch, collection, color, come, come to, company, comprise, compute, contain, copy, count, covey, craft, crowd, curtain, curtain call, curtain raiser, deal, decrease, denomination, description, designation, detail, difference, digit, divertimento, divertissement, divide, dose, dual, edition, enumerate, epilogue, exode, exodus, expository scene, fascicle, feather, few, figure, figure up, finale, fix, foliate, folio, form, front matter, game, gang, gathering, genre, genus, gob, grain, grand, group, handful, handicraft, heap, hoke act, horde, host, hundred, hunk, ilk, impression, include, increase, integer, interlude, intermezzo, intermission, introduction, issue, itemize, kidney, kilo, kilocycle, kilogram, kilohertz, kiloliter, kilometer, kin, kind, label, lakh, large amount, legions, library, library edition, lifework, lilt, line, line of business, line of work, loads, lot, make, manner, many, mark, mass, measure, mess, meter, metier, metrics, millennium, millepede, milligram, milliliter, million, mission, mob, mold, mount up to, movement, multitude, myriad, mystery, nature, numbers, numeral, numerate, occupation, one hundred thousand, one or two, outline, pack, page, paginate, paragraph, parcel, parse, part, party, passage, passel, persuasion, phrase, phylum, platoon, plural, poll, portion, practice, printing, product, profession, prologue, prosody, pursuit, quantify, quantity, quantize, race, racket, rate, ration, reckon, reckon up to, reckoning, reduce, resolve, rhythm, rhythmic pattern, routine, run into, run over, run to, scan, scene, schematize, school edition, score, section, sentence, series, set, several, shape, sheet, shtick, signature, singular, sketch, skit, slew, slews, small amount, song and dance, sort, specialization, specialty, species, stamp, stand-up comedy act, strain, stripe, striptease, style, sum, sum up, summation, swarm, swing, tale, tally, tell, ten thousand, text, the bottom line, the like of, the likes of, the story, the whole story, thou, thousand, tons, tot up, tot up to, total, tote up to, trade, trade book, trade edition, trial, tribe, troop, turn, two or three, type, umpteen, unitize, variety, verse, vocation, volume, walk, walk of life, whole, whole number, work, x number, yard

ROGET THESAURUS

Number

Number

N number, symbol, numeral, figure, cipher, digit, integer, counter, round number, formula, function, series, sum, difference, complement, subtrahend, product, multiplicand, multiplier, multiplicator, coefficient, multiple, dividend, divisor, factor, quotient, submultiple, fraction, rational number, surd, irrational number, transcendental number, mixed number, complex number, complex conjugate, numerator, denominator, decimal, circulating decimal, repetend, common measure, aliquot part, prime number, prime, relative prime, prime factor, prime pair, reciprocal, totient, binary number, octal number, hexadecimal number, permutation, combination, variation, election, ratio, proportion, comparison, progression, arithmetical progression, geometrical progression, harmonical progression, percentage, permilage, figurate numbers, pyramidal numbers, polygonal numbers, power, root, exponent, index, logarithm, antilogarithm, modulus, base, differential, integral, fluxion, fluent, numeral, complementary, divisible, aliquot, reciprocal, prime, relatively prime, fractional, decimal, figurate, incommensurable, proportional, exponential, logarithmic, logometric, differential, fluxional, integral, totitive, positive, negative, rational, irrational, surd, radical, real, complex, imaginary, finite, infinite, impossible, numerically, modulo.

Numeration

VB number, count, tally, tell, call over, run over, take an account of, enumerate, muster, poll, recite, recapitulate, sum, sum up, cast up, tell off, score, cipher, compute, calculate, suppute, add, subtract, multiply, divide, extract roots, algebraize, check, prove, demonstrate, balance, audit, overhaul, take stock, affix numbers to, page, amount to, add up to, come to.

Music

N music, concert, strain, tune, air, melody, aria, arietta, piece of music, work, number, opus, sonata, rondo, rondeau, pastorale, cavatina, roulade, fantasia, concerto, overture, symphony, variations, cadenza, cadence, fugue, canon, quodlibet, serenade, notturno, dithyramb, opera, operetta, oratorio, composition, movement, stave, passamezzo, toccata, Vorspiel, instrumental music, full score, minstrelsy, tweedledum and tweedledee, band, orchestra, concerted piece, potpourri, capriccio, vocal music, vocalism, chaunt, chant, psalm, psalmody, hymn, song, canticle, canzonet, cantata, bravura, lay, ballad, ditty, carol, pastoral, recitative, recitativo, solfeggio, Lydian measures, slow music, slow movement, adagio, minuet, siren strains, soft music, lullaby, dump, dirge, pibroch, martial music, march, dance music, waltz, solo, duet, duo, trio, quartet, quartett, septett, part song, descant, glee, madrigal, catch, round, chorus, chorale, antiphon, antiphony, accompaniment, second, bass, score, bourdon, drone, morceau, terzetto, composer, musician, musical, instrumental, vocal, choral, lyric, operatic, harmonious, Wagnerian, adagio, largo, larghetto, andante, andantino, alla capella, maestoso, moderato, allegro, allegretto, spiritoso, vivace, veloce, presto, prestissimo, con brio, capriccioso, scherzo, scherzando, legato, staccato, crescendo, diminuendo, rallentando, affettuoso, obbligato, pizzicato, desto, in notes by distance made more sweet, like the faint exquisite music of a dream, music arose with its voluptuous swell, music is the universal language of mankind, music's golden tongue, the speech of angels, will sing the savageness out of a bear, music hath charms to soothe the savage beast.