adjectiveadverb

digital

Etwas, das mit Computern, Zahlen oder elektronischen Geräten verbunden ist und nicht in physischer Form vorliegt.

Definition & meaning

The word "digital" has two primary meanings in the German language:

Technology and Data: This is the most common usage. it refers to information, signals, or devices that represent data through discrete values, specifically binary code (zeros and ones). It describes everything related to computers, the internet, and modern electronic communication. For example, a digital clock shows time in digits rather than with hands.
Medicine: In a medical context, "digital" relates to the fingers or toes (from the Latin word for finger). A "digitale Untersuchung" refers to a physical examination performed by a doctor using their fingers.

Grammar & Word origin

The word "digital" functions as an adjective in German.

Its origin lies in the Latin word digitus , which means "finger" or "toe." The connection to mathematics and computing comes from the ancient practice of counting on one's fingers. In the mid-20th century, the term was adopted into the German language (and many others) to describe numerical computation and electronic data processing.