Arithmos

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term referring to a count or quantity representing the total number of elements in a set or group ; designating a symbol or figure used to denote a numerical value ; describing a system or concept related to calculation and enumeration
2. A concept indicating the size or amount of something expressed as a numerical symbol ; identifying the quantitative aspect involved in counting objects or units ; relating to the mathematical idea involving numbers and their properties
3. A representation of quantity through numerical figures used for counting or measurement ; signifying the abstract concept of number used in arithmetic operations ; pertaining to the use of digits and figures to perform calculations and quantify items

Etymology: Ancient Greek speakers used "arithmos" for a number as a counted quantity, and it came from the verb "arithmein," to count. The noun was not limited to abstract numerals. Greek writers used it for the total size of a group, such as an army or a fleet, so a number could describe how many people or things there were, not just a symbol on a page. Pythagorean thinkers went further and treated numbers and their relationships as the basic principle behind the structure of the world, a view Aristotle reports in his own works. English took the related Greek "arithmētikē," the art of counting, and turned it into "arithmetic." The Greek noun's core sense, a quantity reckoned in a count, remains at the centre of the mathematical meaning English speakers use today.

Synonyms: number, count, figure, digit, numeral