digit/number: interval/range indicator for significant digits (determined by lesser endpoint).
Given a well-formed digit string "xn x bi'oi'au xm-1 x", where (a) "xi" is a member of selma'o PA (other than this word or similar words; including at most one instance of "pi") for all i, and (b) the string represents^×1 a finite number in base-b (with b taken to be ten by cultural convention in most human cases unless explicitly specified otherwise), the usage of this word in the aforementioned digit string yields an output of the interval [\sumi = 0^\infty(xn-i b^n-i), \, b^m + \sum= 0^\infty(xn-i b^n-i)), after adjusting for "xk" in the original string being "pi" or "pi'e" vel sim. for at least one k (because that does not work in the summation notation without adjustment); notice the placement of the comma in the interval and clusivity of the endpoints thereof (lesser endpoint is included, but the greater one is excluded). Therefore, using/under the aforementioned notation and assumptions and specifications, usage of this word in "xn x bi'oi'au xm-1 x" outputs an interval which is equivalent to the evaluation of/interval referenced by "eval("xn x") ga'o bi'oi ke'i bm". Importantly, usage of this word generates an interval, not a specific number (even if such would be elliptical or vague) - meaning, among other things, that equality to such an expression would be set equality, and not numeric equality. Note that the interval which is generated includes the lesser (left) endpoint (which is the number specified by the string with this word ignored in/removed from it) but excludes the greater (right) endpoint (which is the same number plus some integer power of the base b). As an example, where "B" represents this word: "2B000" yields [2000, 3000); meanwhile, "20B00" yields [2000, 2100); also, "10.2B7" yields [10.27, 10.37). This word/function is useful for dates (example: "the 2000s"), ages (example: "they are in their twenties"), or any estimate wherein the significant digits are known. Note that, for example, this functionality supports simple calendrical centuries (example: "1900 to 2000, exclusive of the latter only"), canonical calendrical centuries (example: "1901 to 2001, exclusive of the latter only"), and complicated century-long time intervals (example: "1969 to 2069, exclusive of the latter only"); and analogy applies, of course. (Aside: In fact, most instances of calendrical year labels actually should be translated via this word. For example, "I will accomplish my New Year's resolution in/for the Gregorian calendrical year 2023" has "2023" translated not as exactly "re no re ci", but instead as "re no re ci bi'oi'au". This is because "2023" denotes a specific point in time (namely 2023-01-01T00:00:00.000... with mathematical exactitude and perfect, infinite precision – in other words, the very first instant of the year which receives such label), especially given the fact that "nanca" is a unit of measurement (and thus is intimately related to measurement precision and error) and is intended for the measuring/size/determination of the duration of arbitrary specified time-intervals rather than the temporal-distance from some specified time 0. If course, one instead desires to reference a time-interval (namely from that instant until but excluding the one which is similarly denoted by "2024"), which is exactly what this word does. Therefore, Lojban translations which use date-time-stamps for instants are correct, but one which use numeric labels (without some mechanism like this word) for intervals are subtly wrong. End aside). The interval which is generated is a complete (math jargon) subset of the real numbers - there are no gaps and, in particular, the interval is not discrete (for example: it is not restricted to only the integers). Note that this word does not yield an interval of an arbitrary length; use "bi'oi", "bi'i", or "bi'o" for that. Use a construct similar to "there exists a t in (the interval) re bi'oi'au no such that their age is measured to be (approximately) t in years" in order to express "they are in their twenties (at least 20 years old and strictly less than 30 years old)"; the full English expression is wordy, but Lojban can make it concise in translation. Replacing "no" with "mu" in the aforementioned Lojbanic example statement yields "they are in their late twenties or early thirties (at least 25 years old and strictly less than 35 years old)"; this is very similar to results which can be yielded by "mi'i" and fills some semantic gaps which "mi'i'au" cannot easily fill. See also: "bi'oi", "mi'i'au", "su'ai". (Footnote #1: this entire commentary section assumes that the method of interpretation is via a big-endian, traditional, unbalanced, positional, base-b numerical-representation system with b being an integer such that b > 1; however, the method of interpretation can be extended to other systems, such as p-adics or such as balanced integer or complex base-b systems, in natural and fairly self-evident ways, although no endeavor shall be made herein in order to do so and the assumptions about b and the method of interpretation should be as aforementioned, ignoring such possibilities for extension).