Alphanumerics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A set of symbols that encompasses both letters of the alphabet and numeric digits, often employed in technologies like programming or data entry
2. Composed of both textual characters and numerical digits, these figures are frequently used in areas such as online security and user identification
3. Characters consisting of letters together with numbers, often used in codes and data systems

Etymology: "Alphanumerics" is simply the plural of "alphanumeric", so the word is built from two familiar pieces: "alpha", from the Greek names of the first two letters of the alphabet, "alpha" and "beta", which gave us "alphabet", and "numeric", from the Latin "numerus", meaning "number". Put together, the compound describes a character set that combines the letters of the alphabet with the digits of the number system. The "numeric" half comes through a long chain. Latin "numerus" passed into French as "numérique", and English borrowed the adjective "numeric" from it, with the "-ic" ending traceable back through Latin "-icus" and Old French "-ique". English then attached "alpha-" to "numeric" to form "alphanumeric", a modern technical coinage rather than an old word.