Cardinal number

Cardinal number
Number Num"ber (n[u^]m"b[~e]r), 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}.] 1. 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]

2. 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. --Addison. [1913 Webster]

3. A numeral; a word or character denoting a number; as, to put a number on a door. [1913 Webster]

4. Numerousness; multitude. [1913 Webster]

Number itself importeth not much in armies where the people are of weak courage. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]

5. The state or quality of being numerable or countable. [1913 Webster]

Of whom came nations, tribes, people, and kindreds out of number. --2 Esdras iii. 7. [1913 Webster]

6. Quantity, regarded as made up of an aggregate of separate things. [1913 Webster]

7. 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. --Pope. [1913 Webster]

8. (Gram.) 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]

9. (Math.) 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. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • cardinal number — also cardinal n a number such as 1, 2, or 3, that shows how many of something there are, but not what order they are in →↑ordinal number …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • cardinal number — cardinal numbers N COUNT A cardinal number is a number such as 1, 3, or 10 that tells you how many things there are in a group but not what order they are in. Compare ordinal number …   English dictionary

  • cardinal number — 1590s, one, two, three, etc. as opposed to ORDINAL (Cf. ordinal) numbers first, second, third, etc.; so called because they are the principal numbers and the ordinals depend on them (see CARDINAL (Cf. cardinal)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • cardinal number — noun count an ordinary number such as 1, 2, or 3, as opposed to an ordinal number such as 1st, 2nd, or 3rd …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • cardinal number — ► NOUN ▪ a number denoting quantity (one, two, three, etc.), as opposed to an ordinal number (first, second, third, etc.) …   English terms dictionary

  • cardinal number — n. any number used in counting or in showing how many (e.g., two, forty, 627, etc.): distinguished from ORDINAL NUMBER …   English World dictionary

  • Cardinal Number —   [engl.], Kardinalzahl …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Cardinal number — This article describes cardinal numbers in mathematics. For cardinals in linguistics, see Names of numbers in English. In mathematics, cardinal numbers, or cardinals for short, are generalized numbers used to measure the cardinality (size) of… …   Wikipedia

  • cardinal number — noun a) A number used to denote quantity; a counting number. The smallest cardinal numbers are 0, 1, 2, and 3. b) A generalized kind of number used to denote the size of a set, including infinite sets. <!Is this true? Infinite is not a… …   Wiktionary

  • cardinal number — UK / US noun [countable] Word forms cardinal number : singular cardinal number plural cardinal numbers an ordinary number such as 1, 2, or 3, as opposed to an ordinal number such as 1st, 2nd, or 3rd …   English dictionary

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