# лічба
## Belarusian
### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈlʲid͡ʐba]
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

лі́чба • (líčba) f inan (genitive лі́чбы, nominative plural лі́чбы, genitive plural лі́чбаў, relational adjective лі́чбавы)
* (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, Litres, 2020, →ISBN:10 — гэта не лічба, а лік!10 — heta nje ličba, a lik!10 is not a digit, but a number!
* (colloquial, occasionally proscribed) numeral
    Synonym: цы́фра (cýfra)
* (colloquial, occasionally proscribed) number
    Synonym: ко́лькасць (kólʹkascʹ)

#### Usage notes

* 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.

#### Declension

$^1$Used with the numbers 2, 3, 4 and higher numbers after 20 ending in 2, 3, and 4.

#### Derived terms

* лічэ́бнік (ličébnik)

### References

* 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

## Ukrainian
### Etymology

From лічи́ти (ličýty, “to count”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [lʲid͡ʒˈba]
* Audio:(file)

### Noun

лічба́ • (ličbá) f inan (genitive лічби́, uncountable)
* counting
* amount

#### Declension
### References

* 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 (2010–2023), “лічба”, in Словник української мови: у 20 т. [Dictionary of the Ukrainian Language: in 20 vols] (in Ukrainian), volumes 1–14 (а – префере́нція), Kyiv: Naukova Dumka; Ukrainian Lingua-Information Fund, →ISBN