sifferet

Sifferet is a term used in Danish and Norwegian to refer to a single numeral in a positional numeral system. It denotes one of the digits that make up a number, typically 0 through 9 in decimal, but can apply to any single digit in bases higher than ten. The definite form “sifferet” means “the digit” as a specific digit already identified in context.

Etymology: The word siffer shares a common ancestry with the English “digit” and with “cipher” in other languages, tracing back through Latin cifra and French chiffre, ultimately from the Arabic sifr meaning “zero.” In Danish and Norwegian, the suffix -et marks the definite singular, yielding “sifferet” for “the digit.”

Usage: In mathematics, computing, and education, “sifferet” is used to name or discuss an individual digit and its position (place value). Example: Det andre sifferet i tallet 508 er 0, meaning the second digit of the number 508 is 0.

See also: digit, numeral, base-n.