English
numeracy
Numeracy comes from Latin numerus ‘number’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *nem- ‘to assign, allot’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nem-1‘to assign, allot’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nomezos1reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnumerus2‘number’
- Englishtodaynumeracy2
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Latin numerus
- 2 Wiktionary, English numeracy
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nem-Wiktionary, Latin numerus‘to assign, allot’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nomezosWiktionary, Latin numerusreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnumerusWiktionary, English numeracy‘number’
- EnglishtodaynumeracyWiktionary, English numeracy
Formed from numerate + -cy
Proto-Indo-European *nem-
Proto-Italic *nomezos
Latin numerus ‘number’
Latin numerō ‘count, reckon’
Latin numerātus ‘counted, enumerated, having been counted’
English numerate
The story
From numerate + -cy, from Latin numerus; coined with numerate in 1959 by the UK Committee on Education, presided over by Sir Geoffrey Crowther.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *nem- ‘to assign, allot’
nomadic, nomad, numb, nim, nome, naam, luma, enumeration, numismatics, enumerate, 29 more
through Latin numerus ‘number’
Today it means
noun Competence with mathematics and with how to apply it to practical applications; sufficient ability to think critically in a quantitative way.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “numeracy”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin numerus. 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 / Proto-Indo-European *nem- / numeracy