*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of octal

From oct- + -al.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
adj

Concerning numbers expressed in octal or mathematical calculations performed using octal. · Being or relating to a kind of tube socket base having eight pins.

noun

The number system that uses the eight digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. · A digit or value in the octal number system.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From oct- + -al.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "oct",
        "3": "al"
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      "expansion": "oct- + -al"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
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      "oct-#English"
    ],
    [
      "-al",
      "-al#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Concerning numbers expressed in octal or mathematical calculations performed using octal.",
        "Being or relating to a kind of tube socket base having eight pins."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "not-comparable",
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      ],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The number system that uses the eight digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.",
        "A digit or value in the octal number system."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncountable",
        "countable"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 343834
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for octal →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-b2N0YWw