digital

digital (fingers); digital (technology)

adjective dee-zhee-TAL Rare

Origin: Latin 'digitalis' (of the finger)

Usage Note

Digital is a false friend for English speakers: in standard French it means 'relating to fingers' (empreinte digitale, fingerprint), not 'digital' in the computing sense. For technology, French officially prefers numérique (digital, numeric). However, digital in the tech sense is increasingly heard informally under English influence.

Examples

"Les empreintes digitales sont uniques."

Natural Translation

Fingerprints are unique.

Literal Translation

Digital prints are unique.

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