hexadecimal (English)
Where does "hexadecimal" come from?
The term 'hexadecimal' is a modern construction coined in 1952 by combining the Greek-derived prefix 'hexadeca-', meaning sixteen, with the English word 'decimal.' The suffix 'decimal' itself traces back through Late Latin 'decimalis' to the Latin 'decem,' which finds its ancient roots in the Proto-Indo-European word '*déḱm̥' for ten. This blend effectively captures the hybrid nature of a system that uses base-sixteen arithmetic.
Full etymology tree
- hexadecimal (English), 'A number system with base sixteen, using the digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E and F, most used in computing as a hexadecimal digit can represent four bits, half a standard byte, and thus a single byte can be represented conveniently with two digits.'
- compound hexadeca- (English), 'sixteen'
- derived ἑξαίδεκα (hexaideka) (Ancient Greek)
- compound decimal (English), 'Concerning numbers expressed in decimal or mathematical calculations performed using decimal.'
- learned borrowing decimalis (Latin), 'decimal'
- derived decimus (Latin), 'tenth; the ordinal number after nonus and before undecimus'
- inherited *dekəmos (Proto-Italic), 'tenth'
- derived decem (Latin), 'ten; 10'
- inherited *dekem (Proto-Italic)
- inherited *déḱm̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'ten'
- inherited *dekem (Proto-Italic)
- derived decem (Latin), 'ten; 10'
- inherited *dekəmos (Proto-Italic), 'tenth'
- affix -alis (Latin), 'Suffixed to nouns or numerals creating adjectives of relationship.'
- derived decimus (Latin), 'tenth; the ordinal number after nonus and before undecimus'
- learned borrowing decimalis (Latin), 'decimal'
- compound hexadeca- (English), 'sixteen'
Direct ancestors
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris