Etymologically
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seventeen

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 16:12. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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

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)