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Today's word is "DACTYLONOMY".

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DEFINITION:
Noun

1. to use one's fingers to express numbers, either by counting or demonstrating

ETYMOLOGY/ORIGIN:
Greek. [daktylos finger + nomos law, distribution.]

PRONUNCIATION:
\Dac`tylon"omy
Listen

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USAGE:

Finger counting, or dactylonomy, is the art of counting along one's fingers. Though marginalized in modern societies by Arabic numerals, formerly different systems flourished in many cultures, including educated methods far more sophisticated than the one-by-one finger count taught today in preschool education.

Mathematical Ideas: Mathematics, 12th Edition
by Cram101

Arabs, before this, used the proceedures known as Hisab al-Akd — dactylonomy, counting by means of pebbles (hasa, whence Ihsa ; cf. Calculus) and mental calculation (Hisab Maftuh).

Aspect of Science in Religions - A Comparative Study

M. Akbar Ali, 1987

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SYNONYMS:

1. finger-counting or enumerating

SCRABBLE SCORE
22

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Do you use the word “DACTYLONOMY”? Do you use DACTYLONOMY as a practice?

Do you know other uncommon words for counting on one's fingers? Please let us know because we love words!

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