Where does “seventeen” come from?
Seventeen comes from Middle English seventene, from Old English seofontīene, from Proto-Germanic sebuntehun and tehun, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European septḿ̥.
seventeen (English): The cardinal number occurring after sixteen and...
Definitions
- The cardinal number occurring after sixteen and...
Ancestry of “seventeen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | seventene | seventeen |
| 2 | Old English | seofontīene | seventeen |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | sebuntehun | seventeen |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | sebun | seven |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | sebunt | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | septḿ̥ | seven |