A data type representing whole numbers without decimal points, including positive numbers, negative numbers, and zero. Integers are used for counting, indexing, and mathematical operations where fractional values are not needed.
From Latin 'integer' meaning whole, complete, or untouched. Mathematics used the term to distinguish whole numbers from fractions. Computing adopted it directly in the 1940s to describe a fundamental data type, maintaining the mathematical meaning of wholeness.
Integers are like counting on your fingers - you can have 3 fingers up or 5 fingers up, but never 3.7 fingers! Computers love integers because they're precise and predictable, unlike decimal numbers which can get messy with rounding errors.
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