When did you realize the 10 numbers known as "digits" are named after the 10 digits aka fingers we have on our hands?
@sabtraversa (12952)
Italy
September 19, 2022 7:09am CST
I'm not ashamed to admit it'd be yesterday for me. 
After all, I don't recall ever hearing or saying "digits" instead of fingers.
Nor reading or writing, come on, you get the point.
In Italian the word for "fingerprint" is "impronta digitale", i.e. "digital print".
All of sudden I was confused on why would these prints be related to computers, as if they never existed before this technology was invented.
I know some are stored as data on some computers, but still.
Then I realized. 
Whoa! Digital also means "relating to fingers" and as computers work with binary code, therefore with digits, they're also digital.
Even the verb for "typing" is "digitare" but again, I type on a computer which is digital.
That didn't help.
But Sabrina, you type on a keyboard, not on a cOmPuTeR!
Wait, what? How do you know? 
Photo source: Pixabay.
After all, I don't recall ever hearing or saying "digits" instead of fingers.
Nor reading or writing, come on, you get the point.
In Italian the word for "fingerprint" is "impronta digitale", i.e. "digital print".
All of sudden I was confused on why would these prints be related to computers, as if they never existed before this technology was invented.
I know some are stored as data on some computers, but still.
Then I realized.
Whoa! Digital also means "relating to fingers" and as computers work with binary code, therefore with digits, they're also digital.
Even the verb for "typing" is "digitare" but again, I type on a computer which is digital.
That didn't help.
But Sabrina, you type on a keyboard, not on a cOmPuTeR!
Wait, what? How do you know?
Photo source: Pixabay.13 people like this
10 responses
@sabtraversa (12952)
• Italy
20 Sep 22
@LadyDuck I think it mostly depends on how the teacher is able to make a subject fun and interesting, I guess teachers were also quite strict and boring back then. 
2 people like this
@sabtraversa (12952)
• Italy
19 Sep 22
@LadyDuck Studying Latin would have really helped.
But I'm into etymology now so I'll study more as I age, with little effort. 
But I'm into etymology now so I'll study more as I age, with little effort. 2 people like this
@LadyDuck (458279)
• Switzerland
20 Sep 22
@sabtraversa Before the first school reform Latin was mandatory in Italy during the 3 years of the "Scuole Medie" and the 5 years of Liceo Classico. I hated back in time, I am thankful that I learnt Latin now.
2 people like this
@marguicha (215492)
• Chile
19 Sep 22
Actually I was very small when I discovered that. My native tongue is Spanish and many words are very similar to Latin.(hence to Italian). In Spanish we say "dedo" from the Latin digitus. Fingers are the alien words
2 people like this
@marguicha (215492)
• Chile
19 Sep 22
@PhredWreck Yes. And we also call them dedos in Spanish. BTW how is Scar? I haven´t heard of him for a while.
2 people like this
@sabtraversa (12952)
• Italy
19 Sep 22
@marguicha We say "dito", very similar to "dedo".
Still, there's no G, I would have never guessed.
Yeah, "finger" is weird. Etymology suggests it has to do with the number five.
Yeah, "finger" is weird. Etymology suggests it has to do with the number five.1 person likes this
@marguicha (215492)
• Chile
20 Sep 22
@PhredWreck Scar did not want to go out so much when he lived alone with you.
@mythociate (21437)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
19 Sep 22
Reminds me (somehow) that "Paying the Devil his Due" is merely another way of referring to the time when a sailor has to hang over the edge of the boat to apply spackle to the hull at the water's edge.
1 person likes this
@mythociate (21437)
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
20 Sep 22
@sabtraversa Didn't Gene Roddenberry (et al.) name the Klingons' home-planet after him (tho they spelled it differently ... something like 'Quronos')?
2 people like this
@sabtraversa (12952)
• Italy
20 Sep 22
@mythociate That's one cool expression.
Which then reminds me of the Greek god of time, Cronus, who was pretty evil too. 
That's one cool expression.
Which then reminds me of the Greek god of time, Cronus, who was pretty evil too. 2 people like this
@sabtraversa (12952)
• Italy
21 Sep 22
@mythociate Qo'nos/Kronos, might be. The Roman version of Cronus is Saturn, like the planet. Besides being evil, Cronus is the father of Zeus, so it embodies maturity and wisdom. 
1 person likes this
@Orson_Kart (6114)
• United Kingdom
20 Sep 22
Fingers are commonly called digits over here. So yeah, I am aware of that, and as I’ve said before, everything comes from Latin.
Digital in computer terms is something different as it means discrete steps unlike analogue, which is variable.
What about the flower called Digitalis, is that anything to do with fingers? I am guessing so as it’s common name is foxglove and gloves cover fingers.
What say you? 
Digital in computer terms is something different as it means discrete steps unlike analogue, which is variable.
What about the flower called Digitalis, is that anything to do with fingers? I am guessing so as it’s common name is foxglove and gloves cover fingers.
What say you? 2 people like this
@Orson_Kart (6114)
• United Kingdom
20 Sep 22
@sabtraversa Yes, but can you dig it?
See what I did there? 
2 people like this
@sabtraversa (12952)
• Italy
20 Sep 22
@Orson_Kart Well, you're completely right.
2 people like this
@sabtraversa (12952)
• Italy
20 Sep 22
@Orson_Kart Don't tell me "digging" has something to do with digits too now.
2 people like this
@RebeccasFarm (86764)
• United States
26 Mar
@sabtraversa That is why I always say..immersion is best.
1 person likes this
@sabtraversa (12952)
• Italy
26 Mar
@RebeccasFarm It's a balanced mixture of words of Latin and Germanic origin, dressed with some nonsensical stuff for extra flavor.
Pronunciation is what amazes me the most, I can never be sure I'm pronouncing something right until I hear how to say it, and pray it's the standard way and not some "exotic accent".
It's a balanced mixture of words of Latin and Germanic origin, dressed with some nonsensical stuff for extra flavor.
Pronunciation is what amazes me the most, I can never be sure I'm pronouncing something right until I hear how to say it, and pray it's the standard way and not some "exotic accent".1 person likes this
@sabtraversa (12952)
• Italy
19 Sep 22
@Sojourn Yeah, that's also true! 
Imagine what the world would be like if we had more or less than 10 fingers.
Imagine what the world would be like if we had more or less than 10 fingers. 1 person likes this
@sabtraversa (12952)
• Italy
19 Sep 22
@Sojourn Yup, those weird ways of counting would have been common.
Maybe there are aliens who count like that. I wonder if Sci-Fi authors ever keep that in mind. 
1 person likes this
@Sojourn (13836)
• India
19 Sep 22
@sabtraversa Well we have an Octal and hexadecimal number system too, maybe they would have become mainstream.
2 people like this
@snowy22315 (170025)
• United States
24 Mar
I must confess I did not know this, but it makes perfect sense..especially since we are young..we do alot of counting on our fingers.
1 person likes this
@sabtraversa (12952)
• Italy
25 Mar
@snowy22315 Yup, it was such a perfect coincidence the amount of digits match the amount of fingers we have.
1 person likes this
@sabtraversa (12952)
• Italy
19 Sep 22
@josie_ I think the thumb is a finger, because the pinkie doesn't require the word "finger" either, despite looking like a finger more than the thumb does.
Index might still work on its own, middle and ring certainly don't.
Index might still work on its own, middle and ring certainly don't.1 person likes this
@sabtraversa (12952)
• Italy
19 Sep 22
@Bensen32 Glad to know I'm not the only one who found out so late.
1 person likes this
@Bensen32 (27519)
• United States
19 Sep 22
@sabtraversa I guess I assumed it was digits as in numbers in order. but what do I know
1 person likes this
