Etymograph

English

digital

Digital comes from Latin digitālis ‘of or belonging to the finger’, and goes back to digitus.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdigitus1‘finger’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdigitālis1‘of or belonging to the finger’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1853digital1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English digital
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1853, Yankee Notions: “[…] turning round as he reached the door, he…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdigitusWiktionary, English digital‘finger’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEdigitālisWiktionary, English digital‘of or belonging to the finger’
  3. Englishearliest quotation 1853digitalWiktionary, English digital. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1853, Yankee Notions: “[…] turning round as he reached the door, he…”

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Today it means

adj Having to do with digits (fingers or toes); especially, performed with a finger.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “digital”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin digitus / digital