Why is “number” abbreviated as “No.”?
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Chapters
00:00 Why Is “Number” Abbreviated As “No.”?
00:12 Accepted Answer Score 15
00:48 Thank you
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Tags
#etymology #orthography #abbreviations
#avk47
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Track title: Hypnotic Orient Looping
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Chapters
00:00 Why Is “Number” Abbreviated As “No.”?
00:12 Accepted Answer Score 15
00:48 Thank you
--
Full question
https://english.stackexchange.com/questi...
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Content licensed under CC BY-SA
https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/lice...
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Tags
#etymology #orthography #abbreviations
#avk47
ACCEPTED ANSWER
Score 15
No (frequently styled №) is the abbreviation for the Latin word numero (in number). Why is it also used to abbreviate the English word number? Because Latinate abbreviations were second nature to educated people who wrote in Latin. When they wrote in English, they carried these abbreviations over to the “new” language.
Other examples of this practice:
lb, abbreviation of Latin libra (balance) – repurposed as the abbreviation for English: pound
&, a stylized way to write Latin et (and) – repurposed as the abbreviation for English: and