Where does “teens” come from?

Teens derives from Middle English tene, Old English tēon and tūn, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European roots including dū-, dʰewh₂-, and tréyes, with connections to Gaulish dunum.

teens (English): plural of teen; API pl; The numbers between...

Definitions

plural of teen; API pl; The numbers between...

Ancestry of “teens”, step by step

teens traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English thirteen

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	English	thirteen	The cardinal number occurring after twelve and...
2	Middle English	thirttene	—
3	Old English	þrēotīene	thirteen
4	Proto-Germanic	þritehun	thirteen
5	Proto-Germanic	tehun	ten
6	Proto-Indo-European	déḱm̥t	ten

via English teen

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	English	teen	A teenager; Of or having to do with teenagers;...
2	Middle English	tenen	—
3	Old English	tȳnan	to slander, vex
4	Proto-West Germanic	*tūnijan	to enclose, put a fence around

Words derived from “teens”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European déḱm̥t →Every word from Proto-Germanic tehun →Every word from Proto-Germanic þritehun →