Where does “umpteenth” come from?
Umpteenth derives from English umpteen, which combines English umpty with English -þ, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European déḱm̥t meaning ten.
umpteenth (English): Occurring in a relatively large but unspecified...
Definitions
- Occurring in a relatively large but unspecified...
Ancestry of “umpteenth”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | umpteen | API; Relatively large but unspecified in number |
| 2 | English | umpty | indefinite in number; unspecified |
| 3 | English | UMP | Initialism of uridine monophosphate |
| 4 | English | umpire | The official who presides over a tennis game sat... |
| 5 | Middle English | noumper | An arbitrator; an umpire |
| 6 | Old French | nonper | odd number, not even |
| 7 | Old French | per | by; equal |
| 8 | Latin | pār | even (of a number) |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | perH- | to fly; fore, first; exchange |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |