seventeen

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsɛv.ən.tiːn/, /ˌsɛv.ənˈtiːn/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English seventene, inherited from Old English seofontīene (also seofontȳne),^[2][3][4] from seofon (“seven”) and -tīene (“-teen”) (see seven and -teen),^[2][3] akin to Old Norse sjautján and German siebzehn.^[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

About 900 in the OED;^[5] Etymonline calls the form seofontyne late Old English.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Sweet seventeen has been used of a girl's youthful age since about 1290.^[5] Seventeen was used for seventeenth from about 1400, now obsolete.^[5]

Timeline

• c. 900 – seofontīene.^[5]
• c. 1290 – sweet seventeen.^[5]
• 1594 – seventeen (noun).^[5]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The cardinal number equal to sixteen plus one, written 17 or XVII.

Adjective

1. Amounting to seventeen.

Word family

• seventeenth
• seventeen-year locust

Related words

• seven
• seventh
• seventy
• -teen

Usage notes

In Scots, seventeen senses meant all one's wits.^[6]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)