Numerical

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /n(j)uːˈmɛɹ.ɪ.kəl/

Definitions

1. Relating to concepts or expressions that can be quantified through figures Involving calculations and measurements that utilize digits Pertaining to any attributes that can be represented in number form
2. Associated with values that can be defined by digits or figures
3. Connected to quantities that can be denoted using digits ; related to operations involving arithmetic or calculations ; that which can be described or shown by numeric data or measures

Etymology: Numerical is a plain English formation: the adjective "numeric" with the suffix "-al" attached. The first part comes from the French "numérique," which in turn descends from Latin "numericus," itself built on "numerus," meaning "number." The Latin root "numerus" is the same word that gives English "number," so the two terms share an ancestor, though "numerical" arrived by a longer route through French and Latin-based suffixes. The suffix "-al" has its own history. It came into English through Old French from Latin "-alis," which marked a relation to something, so "numerical" literally means "pertaining to number." English already had "numeric" and simply added the suffix, a common way to make a related adjective from a noun or adjective stem.

Synonyms: quantitative, countable, statistical, mathematical, arithmetical

Antonyms: non-numerical, qualitative, descriptive, figurative, conceptual