лічба

Inherited from Old Ruthenian личба (ličba). Compare Polish liczba.

• IPA^(key): [ˈlʲid͡ʐba]

• Audio:

  (file)

лі́чба • (líčba) f inan (genitive лі́чбы, nominative plural лі́чбы, genitive plural лі́чбаў, relational adjective лі́чбавы)

1. (mathematics) digit (a single distinct symbol that forms a part of a written representation of a number)

   Coordinate term: лік (lik)

   • 1940 [1861], Charles Dickens, anonymous translator, Вялікія чаканні, Minsk: ДВБ, translation of Great Expectations, page 220:

     — Можа быць я адгадаю? — сказаў катаржнік. — Ну, вось, напрыклад: ці не пачынаецца сума даходу, які вы атрымліваеце з часу вашага поўналецця, з лічбы пяць?

     — Móža bycʹ ja adhadaju? — skazaŭ kataržnik. — Nu, vosʹ, napryklad: ci nje pačynajecca suma daxódu, jaki vy atrymlivajecje z času vašaha póŭnaljeccja, z ličby pjacʹ?

     [original: “Could I make a guess, I wonder,” said the Convict, “at your income since you come of age! As to the first figure now. Five?”]

     “Perhaps I can guess?” said the convict. “Well, for example: doesn't the sum of your income since you came of age begin with the digit five?”

   • 2018, Людміла Даманская, Кніга першых ведаў для дзяцей ад 2 да 5 гадоў, Minsk: Харвест, →ISBN; republished as Кніга першых ведаў для дзяцей ад 2 да 5 гадоў‎^[1], Litres, 2020, →ISBN:

     10 — гэта не лічба, а лік!

     10 — heta nje ličba, a lik!

     10 is not a digit, but a number!

2. (colloquial, occasionally proscribed) numeral

   Synonym: цы́фра (cýfra)

3. (colloquial, occasionally proscribed) number

   Synonym: ко́лькасць (kólʹkascʹ)

• Being strictly pedantic with the math terminology, only the "digit" sense is considered to be correct. But this does not preclude the use of the other senses by the non-academic people.

• лічэ́бнік (ličébnik)

• Martynaŭ, V. U., Tsykhun, G. A., editors (1978–2017), “лічба”, in Этымалагічны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Etymological Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), Minsk: Belaruskaia navuka
• Bulyka, A. M., editor (1998), “личба”, in Гістарычны слоўнік беларускай мовы [Historical Dictionary of the Belarusian Language] (in Belarusian), numbers 17 (лесничий – местский), Minsk: Belaruskaia navuka, →ISBN, page 83
• “лічба”, in Skarnik's Belarusian dictionary (in Belarusian), based on Kandrat Krapiva's Explanatory Dictionary of the Belarusian Language (1977-1984)
• “лічба” in Belarusian–Russian dictionaries and Belarusian dictionaries at slounik.org

From лічи́ти (ličýty, “to count”) + -ба (-ba).

• IPA^(key): [lʲid͡ʒˈba]

• Audio:

  (file)

лічба́ • (ličbá) f inan (genitive лічби́, uncountable)

1. counting
2. amount

• Hrinchenko, Borys, editor (1907–1909), “лічба́”, in Словарь украинского языка [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language] (in Russian), Kyiv: Kievskaya starina
• Bilodid, I. K., editor (1970–1980), “лічба”, in Словник української мови: в 11 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 11 vols] (in Ukrainian), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka
• Shyrokov, V. A., editor (2010–2025), “лічба”, in Словник української мови: у 20 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 20 vols] (in Ukrainian), volumes 1–15 (а – п'ять), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka; Ukrainian Lingua-Information Fund, →ISBN