Where does “eighty-six” come from?

eighty-six (English) comes from English Six, from Middle English six, from Old English six, from Proto-West Germanic sehs, from Proto-Germanic sehs, from Proto-Indo-European swéḱs — six.

eighty-six (English): The cardinal number immediately following...

Definitions

  1. The cardinal number immediately following...

Ancestry of “eighty-six”, step by step

eighty-six traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English Six

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishSixintelligence service
2Middle Englishsixsix
3Old Englishsixsix
4Proto-West Germanicsehssix
5Proto-Germanicsehssix
6Proto-Indo-Europeanswéḱssix

via English eighty

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglisheightyThe cardinal number occurring after seventy-nine...
2Middle Englisheightetyeighty
3Old Englishhundeahtatiġeighty
4Proto-Germanicahtōutēhundąeighty

Words derived from “eighty-six

Every word from Proto-Indo-European swéḱs