noun · femininefirst declension
cīfra
cīfra f (genitive cīfrae)
Classical[ˈkiː.fra]Ecclesiastical[ˈt͡ʃiː.fra]
Meaning
- Medieval Latinnumeral, cipher
- Medieval Latinzero (symbol)
Decima figura dicitur theta, vel circulus, vel cifra, vel figura nihili quia nihil significat, sed locum tenens dat aliis significare: nam sine cifra vel cifris purus non potest scribi articulus.
The tenth symbol is called theta, or circle, or zero, or the null symbol, which indicates none, but, holding a place, gives a different meaning: for without a zero or zeroes, it is not possible to write the pure single word.c. 1230, Johannes de Sacrobosco, “De Arte Numerandi”, in Rara Mathematica, published 1841, page 3:
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | cīfra | cīfrae ciferae, ciphrae |
| genitive | cīfrae ciferae, ciphrae | cīfrārum ciferārum, ciphrārum |
| dative | cīfrae ciferae, ciphrae | cīfrīs ciferīs, ciphrīs |
| accusative | cīfram ciferam, ciphram | cīfrās ciferās, ciphrās |
| ablative | cīfrā | cīfrīs ciferīs, ciphrīs |
| vocative | cīfra | cīfrae ciferae, ciphrae |
Origins
Sanskrit शू॒न्य (śūnyá)sl. Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr)bor. Latin cīfra Borrowed from Arabic صِفْر (ṣifr). Doublet of zēphirum (“zero”).
Descendants
- Englishcipher
- Frenchchiffre
- Italiancifra
- Friuliancifre
- Hungariancifra
- Piedmontesecifra