Where does “ten” come from?
Ten comes from Old English tēon, from Old Norse tǫnn, from Proto-Indo-European dū-, dewk-, and h₁ed-.
ten (English): The number occurring after nine and before...
Definitions
- The number occurring after nine and before...
Ancestry of “ten”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | ten | ten; plural of tothe |
| 2 | Old English | tēon | to drag, draw, pull; to train, discipline; to... |
| 3 | Old English | tēohan | — |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | teuhan | to pull; to lead |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | teuhaną | to lead; to pull behind oneself, draw, drag |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dewk- | to pull, to draw; to lead |