noun · masculinesecond declension
digitus
digitus m (genitive digitī)
Classical[ˈdɪ.ɡɪ.tʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈdiː.d͡ʒi.tus]
Mille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- masculinea finger, toe
- masculinea digit, number
- masculinean inch (in ancient times, a 16th part of a Roman foot)
- masculinea twig
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
pars extrēma manūs; quīnque digitōs in manū habēmus.digitus -ī m — in Mille Verba, Corpus Hūmānum
pars extrēma manūsdigitus -ī (m) — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 21 and Evangelium secundum Marcum, ch. 12
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | digitus | digitī |
| genitive | digitī | digitōrum digitum |
| dative | digitō | digitīs |
| accusative | digitum | digitōs |
| ablative | digitō | digitīs |
| vocative | digite | digitī |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- extremis digitis aliquid attingere
- to touch with the fingertips.
dĭgĭtus, i, m. Gr. δάκτυλος; cf. Germ. Zehe, Eng. toe; from root δεκ(δέχομαι), to grasp, receive; cf.
Germ. Finger, from fangen, Georg Curtius Gr. Etym. 133. Corssen, however, still refers digitus to root dik-, dico, δείκνυμι, as the pointer, indicator, Ausspr. 1, 380; cf. dico, I. a finger.
I. Prop.:
tot (cyathos bibimus), quot digiti sunt tibi in manu, Plaut. Stich. 5, 4, 24; id. Most. 5, 1, 69; id. Mil. 2, 2, 47; 4, 2, 57 et saep.—The special designations: pollex, the thumb; index or salutaris, the forefinger; medius, also infamis and impudicus, the middle finger; minimo proximus or medicinalis, the ring-finger; minimus, the little finger, v. under those words.— B. Special connections:
attingere aliquem digito (uno), to touch one lightly, gently, Plaut. Pers. 5, 2, 15; Ter. Eun. 4, 6, 2 Ruhnk.; Licinius ap. Gell. 19, 9, 13; Cic. Tusc. 5, 19, 55; cf. with tangere, Plaut. Rud. 3, 5, 30; id. Poen. 5, 5, 29: attingere aliquid extremis digitis (with primoribus labris gustare), to touch lightly, to enjoy slightly, Cic. Cael. 12: attingere caelum digito, to be exceedingly happy, id. Att. 2, 1, 7: colere summis digitis, to adore (to touch the offering or consecrated gift) with the tips of the fingers, Lact. 1, 20; 5, 19 fin.; cf. Ov. F. 2, 573: computare digitis, to count on the fingers, to reckon up, Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 51; Plin. 34, 8, 19, no. 29, § 88; cf.: numerare per digitos, Ov. F. 3, 123: in digitis suis singulas partis causae constituere, Cic. Div. in Caec. 14, 45.—Hence, venire ad digitos, to be reckoned, Plin. 2, 23, 21, § 87; and: si tuos digitos novi, thy skill in reckoning, Cic. Att. 5, 21, 13; cf. also: digerere argumenta in digitos, to count on the fingers, Quint. 11, 3, 114: concrepare digitos or digitis, to snap the fingers, as a signal of command, Petr. 27, 5; Plaut. Mil. 2, 2, 53; Cic. Off. 3, 19; v. concrepo; cf. also: digitus crepans, Mart. 3, 82, 15: digitorum crepitus, id. 14, 119: digitorum percussio, Cic. Off. 3, 19, 78: intendere digitum ad aliquid, to point the finger at any thing, Cic. de Or. 1, 46 fin.: liceri digito, to hold up the finger in bidding at an auction, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 11; for which also: tollere digitum, id. ib. 2, 1, 54. The latter phrase also signifies, to raise the finger in token of submission, said of a combatant, Sid. Ep. 5, 7; cf. Mart. Spect. 29, 5; and Schol, Pers. 5, 119: loqui digitis nutuque, to talk by signs, Ov. Tr. 2, 453; different is: postquam fuerant digiti cum voce locuti, i. e. playing as an accompaniment to singing, Tib. 3, 4, 41; cf.: ad digiti sonum, id. 1, 2, 31; cf. also Lucr. 4, 587; 5, 1384: digito compesce labellum, hold your tongue, Juv. 1, 160.—For the various modes of employing the fingers in oratorical delivery, cf. Quint. 1, 10, 35; 11, 3, 92 sq.; 103; 120 al.: monstrari digito, i. e. to be pointed out, to become distinguished, famous, Hor. C. 4, 3, 22; Pers. 1, 28; for which: demonstrari digito, Tac. Or. 7 fin.; Cic. de Or. 2, 66, 266; id. Rep. 6, 24; Nep. Datam. 11, 5; Suet. Aug. 45.—Prov. phrases: nescit, quot digitos habeat in manu, of one who knows nothing at all, Plaut. Pers. 2, 2, 5: in digitis hodie percoquam quod ceperit, i. e. he has caught nothing, id. Rud. 4, 1, 11: ne digitum quidem porrigere, not to stretch out a finger, like the Gr. δάκτυλον μὴ προτεῖναι, ἐκτεῖναι, for not to give one's self the least trouble, Cic. Fin. 3, 17, 57; cf.: exserere digitum, Pers. 5, 119 Scal.; and in like manner: proferre digitum, to move a finger, to make any exertion, Cic. Caecin. 25, 71: scalpere caput digito, of effeminate men fearful of disarranging their hair, Juv. 9, 133; cf. Sen. Ep. 52 fin.; a habit of Pompey's, acc. to Calvus ap. Schol. Luc. 7, 726, and Sen. Contr. 3, 19; Amm. 17, 11. (Cf. Echtermeyer's Ueber Namen und symbolische Bedeutung der Finger bei den Griechen und Römern, Progr. d. Hall. Pädagogiums, v. 1835.)II. Transf.
A. A toe (cf. Heb. , Gr. δάκτυλος, Fr. doigt), Lucr. 3, 527; Verg. A. 5, 426; Petr. 132, 14; Sen. Ep. 111; Quint. 2, 3, 8 et saep.; also of the toes of animals, Varr. R. R. 3, 9, 4; Col. 8, 2, 8; Plin. 10, 42, 59, § 119 al.—
B. A small bough, a twig, Plin. 14, 1, 3, § 12; 17, 24, 37, § 224.—
C. As a measure of length, an inch, the sixteenth part of a Roman foot (pes), Front. Aquaed. 24 sq.; Caes. B. G. 7, 73, 6; id. B. C. 2, 10, 4; Juv. 12, 59 al.: digiti primores, finger-ends, as a measure, Cato R. R. 21, 2;
digitus transversus, a fingerbreadth, id. ib. 45 fin.; 48, 2.—Prov.: digitum transversum non discedere ab aliqua re, not to swerve a finger's breadth, Cic. Ac. 2, 18, 58; cf. without transversum: nusquam ab argento digitum discedere, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 15; and ellipt.: ab honestissima sententia digitum nusquam, id. Att. 7, 3, 11.Dĭgĭtus, i, m.,
I. a proper name; in plur.: Digiti Idaei = Δάκτυλοι Ἰδαῖοι, the priests of Cybele, Cic. N. D. 3, 16, 42; cf. Arn. 3, 41 and 43, and v. Dactylus.
Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
digitus ī, m
DIC-, a finger : de digito anulum detraho, T.: digitos impellere, ut Scriberent: Indice monstrare digito, H.: illam digito uno attingere, to touch gently , T.: alqd extremis digitis attingere, to touch lightly : attingere caelum digito, to be exceedingly happy : digiti, per quos numerare solemus, O.: in digitis suis singulas partīs causae constituere: si tuos digitos novi, skill in reckoning : si digitis concrepuerit, by a snap of the finger : digitum ad fontīs intendere, to point : qui digito sit licitus, bid at an auction : digitis nutuque loqui, by signs , O.: digito compesce labellum. hold your tongue , Iu.: monstror digito praetereuntium fidicen, H.: demonstravi digito Gallum.— Prov.: ne digitum quidem porrigere, not to move a finger.—A toe : constitit in digitos adrectus, V. — A finger's breadth, inch (the sixteenth part of a pes), Cs.: clavi digiti pollicis crassitudine, Cs.— Prov.: digitum transversum non discedere, swerve a finger's breadth : ab argento digitum discedere: digitis a morte remotus Quattuor, Iu.
Origins
Traditionally derived from Proto-Italic *digitos, from Proto-Indo-European *deyǵ- (“to show, point out, pronounce solemnly”), variant of the root *deyḱ- that also gave Latin dīcō (“to say, speak talk”) and English toe; fingers were thus "pointers" or "indicators". De Vaan, however, is skeptical, as no other term exhibits a comparable change from *-ḱ- to a *-ǵ-. The "number" sense comes from the fact that fingers were used for counting up to ten. Indo-European cognates include Sanskrit दिशति (diśáti, “to show, point out”), Ancient Greek δείκνῡμῐ (deíknūmĭ, “to show”), δῐ́κη (dĭ́kē, “manner, custom”), Old English tǣċan (“to show; to point out”, English teach) and tācn (“sign; token”, English token); compare the similar semantic shift in English teacher (“forefinger, index finger”). The relation to Ancient Greek δᾰ́κτῠλος (dắktŭlos, “finger”) is unclear, particularly as the latter term's phonetics suggest a substrate origin.
Borrowings
- Catalandígit
- Englishdigitfrom Middle English digit
- Portuguesedígito
- Spanishdígito
- Interlinguadigito
Insular Romance
- Sardiniandidu
- Sardiniandighitu
- Sardiniandighidu
Gallo-Romance
- Catalandit
- Occitandet
- Occitandit
- Old Frenchdoit
Italo-Dalmatian
- Italiandeto
- Italiandito
- Corsicanditu
- Dalmatiandetco
- Dalmatiandetro
- Dalmatiandeclo
- Dalmatiandet
- Neapolitandito
- Sicilianjìditu
- Sicilianjitu
Ibero-Romance
- Portuguesededofrom Old Galician-Portuguese dedo
- Spanishdedofrom Old Spanish dedo
- Aragonesedido
- Asturiandeu
- Asturiandedu
- Asturiandidu
- Mirandesededo
- Faladeufrom Old Galician-Portuguese dedo
- Galiciandedofrom Old Galician-Portuguese dedo
- Ladinodedofrom Old Spanish dedo
Balkano-Romance
- Romaniandeget
- Aromaniandzeadzit
- Aromaniandzeadit
- Aromaniandeadzit
- Aromaniandeazit
- Aromaniandezet
- Aromaniandzedzut
- Istro-Romanianžåžet
- Megleno-Romanianzeazit
- Megleno-Romanianzęzit
Rhaeto-Romance
- Friuliandêt
- Romanshdet
Gallo-Italic
- Emiliandîd
- Liguriandîo
- Lombarddid
- Lombarddi
- Piedmontesedi
- Romagnoldòit