'arithmography' originates from Greek, specifically the elements 'arithmos' and 'graphein', where 'arithmos' meant 'number' and 'graphein' meant 'to write'.

'arithmography' changed from the Greek compound 'arithmographia' (used to denote writing or representation of numbers) and was later adopted into scholarly English as 'arithmography'.

Initially, it meant 'the writing or recording of numbers'; over time it has retained that core meaning and now also denotes the study or systems of numerical notation.