numerator

[ noo-muh-rey-ter, nyoo- ]

noun

1. Arithmetic. the term of a fraction, usually above the line, that indicates the number of equal parts that are to be added together; the dividend placed over a divisor: Compare denominator ( def 1 ).

   The numerator of the fraction 2/3 is 2.

2. a person or thing that numbers.

numerator

/ ˈnjuːməˌreɪtə /

noun

1. See denominator
   maths the dividend of a fraction Compare denominator

   the numerator of is 7

2. a person or thing that numbers; enumerator

numerator

/ no̅o̅′mə-rā′tər /

1. A number written above or to the left of the line in a common fraction to indicate the number of parts of the whole. For example, 2 is the numerator in the fraction 2 7 .

numerator

1. In mathematics , the number that appears on the top of a fraction . In the fraction 2/3, the numerator is 2. ( Compare denominator .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of numerator¹

1535–45; < Late Latin numerātor a counter, numberer, equivalent to Latin numerā ( re ) to number + -tor -tor

Example Sentences

When N was 2 the numerator was 3, and when N was 3 the numerator was 16.

From FiveThirtyEight

Multiplying the numerator and denominator inside the summation by a factor of N!

From FiveThirtyEight

Now anyone who’s mathematically minded would say, that seems weird because you have a unit in the numerator that’s different than the unit in the denominator.

From FiveThirtyEight

For small values of x, the denominator was very close to 1, while the numerator was slightly less than 6.

From FiveThirtyEight

This time around, the two factors in each denominator canceled out with factors in the numerators in both the preceding and following fractions.

From FiveThirtyEight

The simplest arithmetician could see that the nought "went into" the numerator an infinite number of times.

From Project Gutenberg

Multiply the numerators together for a new numerator and the denominators together for a new denominator.

From Project Gutenberg

Annex one or more ciphers to the numerator and divide by the denominator.

From Project Gutenberg

The numerator of the third is the sum of the numerators of the first and second, its denominator, the sum of the two denominators.

From Project Gutenberg

The sum of the numerator digits and the denominator digits will, of course, always be 45, and the "digital root" is 9.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• figure
• statistic
• sum
• total