Brewer's: Numbers

(from 1 to 13), theological symbols:

(1) The Unity of God.

(2) The hypostatic union of Christ, both God and man.

(3) The Trinity.

(4) The number of the Evangelists.

(5) The wounds of the Redecmer: two in the hands, two in the feet, one in the side.

(6) The creative week.

(7) The gifts of the Holy Ghost (Rev i. 12). Seven times Christ spoke on the cross.

(8) The number of the beatitudes (Matt. v. 3-11).

(9) The nine orders of angels (q.v.).

(10) The number of the Commandments.

(11) The number of the apostles who remained faithful.

(12) The original college.

(13) The final number after the conversion of Paul.

Numbers

Army of soldiers.

Regiment, etc.

Assembly

of people.

Batch

or Caste of bread.

Bench

of bishops, magistrates, etc.

Bevy

of roes, quails, larks, pheasants, ladies, etc.

Board

of directors.

Brood

of chickens, etc.

Catch

of fish taken in nets, etc.

Clump

of trees.

Cluster

of grapes, nuts, stars, etc

Collection

of pictures, curiosities, etc.

Company

of soldiers.

Congregation

of people at church, etc.

Covey

of game birds.

Crew

of sailors.

Crowd

of people.

Drove

of horses, ponies, beasts, etc Drum, a crush of company. Federation. A trade union.

Fell

of hair.

Fleet

of ships.

Flight

of bees, birds, stairs, etc.

Flock

of birds, sheep geese, etc.

Forest

of trees.

Galaxy of beauties.

Gang

of slaves, prisoners, thieves, etc.

Haul

of fish caught in a net.

Head

of cattle.

Herd

of bucks, deer, harts, seals, swine, etc.

Hive

of bees.

Host

of men.

House

of senators.

Legion

of “foul fiends.”

Library

of books.

Litter

of pigs, whelps, etc.

Menagerie

of wild beasts.

Mob

of roughs, wild cattle, etc.

Multitude

of men. In law, more than ten.

Muster

of peacocks.

Mute

of hounds.

Nest

of rabbits, ants, etc.; shelves, etc.

Nursery

of trees, shrubs, etc.

Pack

of hounds, playing cards, grouse, etc.

Panel

of jurymen.

Pencil

of rays, etc.

Pile

of books, wood stacked, etc.

Posse

(a sheriff's). Posse (2 syl.).

Pride

of lions.

Rabble

of men ill-bred and ill-clad.

Regiment

(A) of soldiers.

Rookery

of rooks and seals, also of unhealthy houses.

Rouleau

of money.

School

of whales, etc.

Set

of china, or articles assorted.

Shoal

of mackerel.

Shock

of hair, corn, etc.

Skein

of ducks, thread, worsted.

Skulk

of foxes.

Society

(A). Persons associated for some mutual object.

Stack

of corn, hay, wood (piled together).

String

of horses.

Stud

of mares.

Suit

of clothes.

Suite

of rooms.

Swarm

of bees, locusts, etc.

Take

of fish.

Team

of oxen, horses, etc.

Tribe

of goats.

Numbers

Odd Numbers. “Numero Deus impare gaudet” (Virgil: Eclogues, viii. 75). Three indicates the “beginning, middle, and end.” The Godhead has three persons; so in classic mythology Hecate had threefold power; Jove's symbol was a triple thunderbolt, Neptune's a sea-trident, Pluto's a three-headed dog; the Fates were three, the Furies three, the Graces three, the Horae three; the Muses three-times-three. There are seven notes, nine planets, nine orders of angels, seven days a week, thirteen lunar months, or 365 days a year, etc., five senses, five fingers on the hand and toes on the foot, five vowels five continents, etc. etc. A volume might be filled with illustrations of the saying that “the gods delight in odd numbers.” (See Odd, Nine.)

Numbers

To consult the Book of Numbers is to call for a division of the House, or to put a question to the vote. (Parliamentary wit.)

Numbers

Pythagoras looked on numbers as influential principles.

1 is Unity, and represents Deity, which has no parts.

2 is Diversity, and therefore disorder. The principle of strife and all evil.

3 is Perfect Harmony, or the union of unity and diversity.

4 is Perfection. It is the first square (2 2 = 4).

5 is the prevailing number in Nature and Art.

6 is Justice (Perfect Harmony being 3, which multiplied by Trinity = 6).

7 is the climacteric number in all diseases. Called the Medical Number (2 syl.). 2. The Romans dedicated the second month to Pluto, and the second day of the month to the Manes. They believed it to be the most fatal number of all.

4 and 6 are omitted, not being prime numbers; 4 is the multiple of 2, and 6 is the multiple of 3.

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894

Numerals

Number of the Beast