Hindu-Arabic numerals

noun

UK /ˌhɪndu ˈærəbɪk ˈnjuːmərəlz/

US /ˌhɪndu ˈærəbɪk ˈnuːmərəlz/

The number symbols 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 that we use every day.

We write the year 2024 using Hindu-Arabic numerals.

SYNONYMS

Arabic numerals Western numerals decimal digits standard numerals

RELATED WORDS

digits decimal system place value zero number symbols

OTHER MEANINGS

2. The numeral system that originated in India and was spread to Europe by Arab mathematicians.

Historians credit Indian mathematicians with inventing Hindu-Arabic numerals.

3. The ten written symbols used in this system, as opposed to Roman numerals or other notation.

The clock face uses Roman numerals, but the digital display uses Hindu-Arabic numerals.

4. A positional base-10 notation in which each digit's value depends on its place.

Hindu-Arabic numerals make large calculations easier than Roman numerals do.