numericaladj.n.
/njuːˈmɛrɪkl/, /njᵿˈmɛrɪkl/, U.S. /n(j)uˈmɛrɪk(ə)l/ A. adj.
I. Senses relating to identity or difference.† 1. Identical in all parts, same. Cf. sense A. 2 and numeric adj. 1.
a. With same. Obsolete.
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the world > relative properties > relationship > identity > [adjective]
the ilkeOE
selfeOE
oneOE
no nothera1325
that ilk (thilk) same1390
one self?a1425
selfsamec1425
the same self1503
proper1523
one (and the) selfsame1531
self-said1548
one and the same1551
identical1581
the same very1590
the very same1597
individuala1602
individually the same1604
a (also one) selfly1605
very1611
same1621
numerical1624
numeric1663
identic1664
synonymous1789
1624 R. Burton Anat. Melancholy (ed. 2) i. iii. i. ii. 165 As in a Riuer we swimme in the same place, though not in the same numericall water.
1662 H. Hibbert Exercitationes Theologicæ 62 in Syntagma Theologicum It was the very same numerical body which he had before.
1694 J. Locke Ess. Humane Understanding (new ed.) ii. xxvii. 187 The same individual, immaterial, thinking Substance: In short, the same numerical Soul, and nothing else.
1710 J. Norris Treat. Christian Prudence vii. 305 The same Numerical Act cannot be well conceiv'd to govern itself.
b. With this or that. Obsolete.
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1644 J. Bulwer Chirologia 89 Many of these Numericall postures of the Fingers are found in the statues of the Ancients.
1660 R. Boyle New Exper. Physico-mechanicall xxix. 222 Though it be now divers years since this Numerical Liquor was prepared.
1702 R. Steele Funeral i. 14 Am I really Alive? Am I that Identical, that Numerical, that very same Lord Brumpton.
1720–21 Lett. from Mist's Jrnl. (1722) II. 248 I would gladly be informed if..Mr. William Tong..be that numerical Will Tong, who formerly kept a canting School in this City.
c. With very. Obsolete.
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1650 T. Fuller Pisgah-sight of Palestine v. xix. 179 The Law of the Jews: probably that very numericall book..kept in the Temple.
1673 J. Dryden Marriage a-la-Mode ii. i. 19 I may tell you,..this is that very numerical Lady, with whom I am in love.
1699 R. Bentley Diss. Epist. Phalaris (new ed.) 213 The Writer of the Epistle has the very numerical words of Euripides.
1716 M. Davies Athenæ Britannicæ II. 175 All the several Manuscripts of the Policraticon..are the very Numerical Book describ'd by Bale and Pitts.
1731 E. Thomas Pylades & Corinna 84 The very numerical Person abovementioned, shall renounce his beloved Apathy.
2. Chiefly Philosophy. Relating to that property of a thing by which it is (or is not) strictly distinct from any other, regardless of other similarity or difference; particular, individual. Now rare.Cf. also quots. 1628 at sense A. 3a, 1782 at sense A. 3a.
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the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > [adjective] > individual or single
oneOE
singularc1340
particulara1387
serea1400
serelepya1400
several1448
single?a1475
individual1593
numerical1643
versal1709
varsal1751
separate1907
1643 Sir T. Browne Religio Medici (authorized ed.) i. §33 I beleeve..that they [sc. spirits] have knowledge not only of the specificall, but numericall formes of individuals. View more context for this quotation
1656 T. Blount Glossographia (at cited word) As when we say a numerical difference, that is to say, the last difference, by which one individual thing is distinguished from one another.
1673 H. Hickman Hist. Quinq-articularis Epist. sig. A4 I cannot comprehend..how three Persons subsist in one numerical nature.
1699 R. Bentley Diss. Epist. Phalaris (new ed.) 419 Every such Couple were the Numerical Halves, that made up one compleat Person in the former State.
1739 D. Hume Treat. Human Nature I. iv. 352 The constancy of our perceptions makes us ascribe to them a perfect numerical identity, tho' there be very long intervals betwixt their appearance.
1754 New & Compl. Dict. Arts & Sci. III. 2235/1 Numerical difference is the difference whereby one individual is distinguished from another. Hence a thing is said to be numerically the same, when it is so in the strictest sense of the word.
1844 R. W. Emerson Ess. 2nd Ser. viii. 250 There is a genius of a nation, which is not to be found in the numerical citizens, but which characterizes the society.
1902 J. M. Baldwin Dict. Philos. & Psychol. II. 190/1 Numerical difference is individual difference, apart from all qualitative unlikeness. Numerical identity is being strictly the same individual.
II. Senses relating to number.† 4. Metrical, rhythmical. Cf. numbrous adj. 2, numerous adj. 5. Obsolete. rare.
3.
a. Of, relating to, or of the nature of a number or numbers; consisting of or involving numbers.
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the world > relative properties > number > mathematical number or quantity > [adjective]
numeralc1475
numerical1628
numerary1742
1628 T. Spencer Art of Logick 112 Vnequals..cannot be one in numericall quantitie.
1700 Gregory in C. R. L. Fletcher Collectanea (1885) I. 323 He supposeth one is pretty well acquainted with the numerical arithmetick.
1782 J. Priestley Hist. Corruptions Christianity I. i. 127 Joachim..denied that..nothing but a numerical or moral union was left.
1837 W. Whewell Hist. Inductive Sci. I. i. ii. 63 He confounded..a numerical unit with a geometrical point.
1866 Duke of Argyll Reign of Law ii. 73 All that we ever know is some numerical rule or measure according to which some unknown Forces operate.
1881 Nature 1 Sept. 410/2 He [sc. Mayer] obtained a numerical value of the mechanical equivalent of heat.
1915 J. Buchan Thirty-nine Steps iii. 52 This one looked like the numerical kind where sets of figures correspond to the letters of the alphabet.
1966 B. Malamud Fixer (1969) v. v. 156 Certain Roman Catholic popes, including an Innocent, a Paul, a Gregory, and a Clement, whose numerical designations I have forgotten.
1990 Dynamics & Stability of Syst. 5 23 Numerical integration yields the fundamental matrix.
b. Of a figure, symbol, etc.: that denotes a number.
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the world > relative properties > number > mathematical notation or symbol > [adjective] > written or designated by figures
digit1539
numeral1577
numerical1647
numeric1825
figurate1830
1647 F. Lodowyck Common Writing To Rdr. sig. A2v The Arithmeticians, whose numerical characters are still the same, although described by those of differentall Languages.
1706 A. Bedford Temple Musick vii. 153 The Numbers..might have been writ in Numerical Letters.
1761 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy IV. 55 Seven thousand coaches (Slawkenbergius must certainly have made some mistake in his numerical characters).
1800 Naval Chron. 3 295 Jackson hoisted the horary and numerical signal.
1817 J. Bentham Chrestomathia Pt. II 184 A quantity, for the designation of which no more than one numerical figure..is employed.
1863 F. M. Müller in Sat. Rev. 12 Dec. 762/2 The Brahmans were the original inventors of those numerical symbols.
1935 Amer. Jrnl. Sociol. 40 480 Numerical symbols are more standardized and interchangeable than any other symbols.
1988 R. S. Woolhouse Empiricists (BNC) Arithmeticians fail to see that the function of numerical symbols and signs is to enable us to deal in general ways with groups of particular sensible things.
c. Having respect to numbers; measured in strength of numbers.
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the world > relative properties > number > mathematical number or quantity > [adjective] > with respect to size
smallc1400
long1712
numerical1812
fifty1819
normed1935
significant1962
1812 Examiner 23 Aug. 539/2 He would..state the numerical force of his own and the enemy's army.
1849 G. Grote Hist. Greece VI. ii. l. 368 Nikostratus..was not afraid of this numerical superiority.
1881 B. F. Westcott & F. J. A. Hort New Test. in Orig. Greek II. Introd. ii. 42 The numerical authority of the two supposed witnesses against the third.
1910 Encycl. Brit. I. 827/1 Every attempt of the Confederate naval forces to break out was checked at once by crushing numerical preponderance.
1986 Amer. Scholar 65 465 Conversion alone, not numerical limitation, should henceforth, in his view, be the decisive factor governing the admission of Jews to governmental service.
1991 Insight 4 Feb. 12/1 These..missiles were developed to counter the numerical superiority of Soviet tank armies.
d. Mathematics. Of a mathematical expression, equation, etc.: characterized by the use of numbers rather than letters to represent constant terms. Cf. literal adj. 4.
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the world > relative properties > number > mathematical notation or symbol > [adjective] > written or designated by figures > numbers rather than letters
numerical1840
1840 Penny Cycl. XVI. 369/1 Numerical, as opposed to literal, in algebra, applies to an expression in which the coefficients of a letter are all numbers, and not letters.
1881 W. S. Burnside & A. W. Panton Theory of Equations 2 An equation is numerical, or algebraical, according as its coefficients are numbers, or algebraical symbols.
1949 Amer. Math. Monthly 56 43 A method is given for finding the approximate values of the roots of a numerical equation..which applies equally to algebraic or transcendental equations.
1995 SIAM Rev. 37 539 Since the difficulty here lies wholly in the resolution technique, I will first elucidate the method I use in a numerical equation.
e. Chiefly U.S. Designated by a number instead of a name.
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the mind > language > naming > [adjective] > named or called > with other specific kind of name
own-named1612
new-named1622
surnamed1659
nominate1818
numerical1872
epitheted1880
branded1897
1872 W. D. Howells Their Wedding Journey (1892) 29 They turned into one of the numerical streets to cross to Broadway.
2001 Messenger-Inquirer (Owensboro, Kentucky) (Nexis) 7 Oct. Since Owensboro's numerical streets stop at 27th, Roberts had to settle for 2600 Breckenridge St. as the location for the used car dealership.
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society > leisure > the arts > literature > poetry > versification > rhythm > [adjective]
numbrousa1586
numerous1589
rhythmical1589
rhythmica1631
numerose1714
numerical1749
rhythmal1812
rhythmopoetic1908
1749 J. Mason Ess. Power of Numbers & Princ. Harmony 4 What I intend then is a particular Examination of the numerical Structure both in Verse and Prose.
B. n.
A number, a numeral. Cf. numeric n.
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the world > relative properties > number > mathematical number or quantity > [noun]
i-telc1000
telc1000
numberc1300
suma1387
quantitya1398
umberc1400
value1543
term1552
terminus?a1560
quantum1567
valuation1636
numerality1646
numeration1646
numerical1760
numeric1878
naturality1942
1760 Gentleman's Diary 48 The Figures 1, 2, 3, &c. shew the Questions, and the Numericals, i, ii, iii, &c. the Ænigmas each Contributor answered.
1767 J. Z. Holwell Interesting Hist. Events: Pt. 2 ii. vi. 121 The cause of the superstitious veneration paid by the Gentoos to the numericals one and three.
1828 Times 31 Dec. 3/5 He begged to ask from which of the two accounts, designated by the numericals 1 and 2, were the funds to be drawn.
1886 Science July 12/1 Substituting the numericals above recorded, we have..0.0190507 pounds.
1928 W. S. Hunter Human Behavior ii. i. 168 (caption) The Roman numericals indicate the cranial nerves.
1979 SLR Camera 58/2 All just a guide, for these ratings can differ in practice with every little departure from the rigorous exposure and processing standards used to arrive at these rather precise numericals!
1998 Hong Kong Standard (Nexis) 18 Apr. No software recognises the numericals 00 for a year.
2002 Straits Times (Singapore) (Nexis) 7 Feb. Ever since he established his own..brand.., his watches—with their..curvilinear cases and baroque numericals—have tick-led the fancies of celebrities.
Compounds
numerical analysis n. the branch of mathematics that deals with the development and use of numerical methods for solving problems (usually ones too complicated for analytic methods).
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the world > relative properties > number > mathematics > [noun] > theories or branches of
menadry1570
pure mathematics1605
mechanics1612
residuation1846
chaos theory1880
number theory1901
formalism1913
intuitionism1913
replacement theory1914
biomathematics1923
proof theory1929
finitism1935
mereology1938
combinatorics1941
cryptarithmetic1943
game theory1945
numerical analysis1946
queueing theory1951
constructivism1959
complexity1963
catastrophe theory1971
chaology1985
1930 J. B. Scarborough (title) Numerical mathematical analysis.]
1946 Ann. Computation Lab. Harvard Univ. 1 338 (heading) Bibliography of numerical analysis.
1952 D. R. Hartree Numerical Anal. i. 2 The methods of numerical analysis..have that degree of generality which entitles them to be considered part of mathematics.
1991 Guardian 12 Mar. (EG Suppl.) 24/4 The mass of real-life use of numerical analysis is there to be incorporated.
numerical analyst n.
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the world > relative properties > number > mathematics > [noun] > knowledge of > one who has
mathematician?a1475
mathematical1545
mathematic1547
algebrician1579
computist1595
algebraist1614
philomathematic1621
Archimedesa1649
algorist1656
analyst1656
fluxionist1734
calculist1829
metamathematician1935
numerical analyst1956
1956 F. B. Hildebrand Introd. Numerical Anal. i. 1 Generally the numerical analyst does not strive for exactness.
1994 Sci. Amer. Apr. 21 (advt.) With PDEase software, you can solve systems of nonlinear partial differential equations..without being a numerical analyst.
numerical aperture n. a measure of the resolving power of a microscope objective (for a given wavelength), equal to the product of the refractive index of the medium in front of it and the sine of the semi-angle of the cone it subtends at the centre of the object.
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1878 Jrnl. Royal Microsc. Soc. 1 19 The inner scale shows the air-angle, the outer scale the ‘numerical aperture’.
1952 R. W. Ditchburn Light viii. 253 Higher magnifications have been obtained using electron microscopes... The effective wavelength may be of the order of 0·1 Å., but the numerical aperture of models so far available is very low, being only of the order of 0·01.
1988 M. Tucker Techniques in Sedimentol. (BNC) 178 He found that the controlling factors were the magnifications and numerical apertures of eyepieces and objectives, transmission of individual optical elements, and other details of the optical path.
numerical card n. a playing card between one (ace) and ten, a card that is not a court card.
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society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > card or cards > [noun] > number card
numerical card1816
numeral card1876
pip card1892
1816 S. W. Singer Researches Hist. Playing Cards 45 The numerical cards in each suit appear to have been ten in number.
1994 Chicago Tribune 2 Jan. (Home section) 7 Decks consisted of 52 cards arranged in four suits, each with 10 numerical cards and three court cards.
numerical control n. a method of using numerical data stored on tape or punched cards to control automatically the movement and operations of machine tools and workpieces.
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1952 Final Rep. Constr. & Operation of Numerically Controlled Milling Machine (Mass. Inst. Technol. Servomechanisms Lab.) 30 July 1 (AD 22241) Called numerical control, this technique [of automatic machine-tool control] has been applied by M.I.T...to a milling machine controlled by a numerical code punched on paper tape.
1971 H. C. Town Design & Constr. Machine Tools vii. 159 With numerical control the instructions for the various phases of a cycle are transmitted by punched or magnetic tape inserted in a reader unit.
1994 IEEE Ann. Hist. Computing 16 42/1 This approach would open the door to the creation of numerical control information without the need to write extensive numerical control part programs.
numerical order n. an arrangement of a series of items by numbers in a sequential order.
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1712 London Gaz. No. 4952/4 An exact Table of the..Tickets in a Numerical Order..will be publish'd.
1932 Econ. Jrnl. 42 392 The shuffling of the notes out of numerical order was, no doubt, an essential precaution to make the discovery of duplicate numbers less likely.
1995 N. Whittaker Platform Souls (1996) iii. 40 In this way, each number became a memory, encrypted, filed away in numerical order.
numerical taxonomic adj. relating to or involving numerical taxonomy.
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1961 Systematic Zool. 10 137/1 We may soon be able to read the genetic code of organisms and we shall then be able to compare genomes by numerical taxonomic methods.
1993 Canad. Jrnl. Bot. 71 183 Numerical taxonomic analysis showed that the early- and late-flowering forms were substantially different morphologically.
numerical taxonomy n. Biology the classification of organisms by a quantitative analysis of their similarities and differences, without reference to evolutionary relationships (cf. phenetic adj.).
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1961 Systematic Zool. 10 70/2 These methods have been called ‘quantitative systematics’ in the past. Recently Sokal and Sneath have renamed then collectively as ‘numerical taxonomy’ (Sokal, 1960).
1997 Antarctic Sci. 9 134 The sea ice isolates, along with reference strains, were analysed by numerical taxonomy and for DNA base composition in order to determine the biodiversity of sea ice bacteria.
numerical value n. the size of a particular quantity expressed numerically, a number; spec. (a) a number assigned to a letter of the alphabet, (hence) a number corresponding to a word or phrase, obtained by adding together the values of its constituent letters; (b) = absolute value n. at absolute adj. and n. Compounds 2.
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1796 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 86 136 The numerical value of d/ s was 1/ 3 for the logarithm of 2.
1884 J. Payne 1001 Nights VII. 210 (note) The clue to this logogriph lies in the numerical value of the letters forming the key-word.
1993 Guardian 24 July (Weekend Suppl.) 61/3 Having laid out your systemata..the chart of numerical values..you can ascribe a number to any letter.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1624