Where does “twenty” come from?
Twenty derives from Middle English twenty, Old English twēntiġ, and Proto-Germanic twai tigiwiz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European deḱ-, meaning ten.
twenty (English): The cardinal number 20, occurring after nineteen...
Definitions
- The cardinal number 20, occurring after nineteen...
Ancestry of “twenty”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | twenty | Alternative form of twenti |
| 2 | Old English | twēntiġ | twenty |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | twai tigiwiz | twenty |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | twai | two |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | dwóh₁ | two |